Legacy of Jarik Shan V2: The Clone Wars
by xxTheTruMan196
Summary: Partway through the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi requests to train another Jedi, and receives Jarik Shan as his new Padawan. He is a bright young Jedi, and is best friends with Ahsoka Tano. Through the course of the war, Jarik will continue to grow and fight for what he believes in, facing deadly foes and uncovering secrets of the past, which have been buried for centuries...
1. Story Introduction!

**STORY CHRONOLOGY:**

-LOJS V1: Beginnings

-LOJS V2: The Clone Wars

-LOJS V3: Revenge of the Sith

-LOJS V4: A Jedi in Exile

-LOJS V5: Rebirth

* * *

 **A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...**

* * *

 **LEGACY OF JARIK SHAN**

 **Volume 2: The Clone Wars**

A galaxy at war! Following the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order has been spread thin in their efforts to lead the Galactic Republic in its battle against the Separatist Alliance and it leader, Count Dooku.

Famed Jedi Generals Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi find themselves on the front lines of war against the Separatists, while increasing disputes and conflict continue to fluctuate the Galactic Senate, despite the efforts of Chancellor Palpatine to display unity. While in the heat of war, Anakin Skywalker gained a new Padawan learner in the form of Ahsoka Tano, a bright young girl who sought to prove herself capable. Together they have gone on many missions throughout the war, developing a great friendship.

Now, a year after the start of the Clone War, the Jedi Council has deemed Jarik Shan worthy to become a Padawan learner under the apprenticeship of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Eager at the prospect of fighting alongside his best friend Ahsoka, Jarik must learn what it truly means to be a Jedi Commander, and will also uncover secrets of his family lineage, and why the name of 'Shan' carries such hidden importance...

* * *

 **[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]**

* * *

 _Hey there readers! It's time for Jarik to start his adventures in the Clone Wars! Before we start the story I just want to let you all know that I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS! ONLY MY OC CHARACTER JARIK SHAN IS OWNED BY ME! THE REST IS OWNED BY DISNEY AND LUCASFILMS._

 _Based on the last name, I'm sure most of you can take a guess on who Jarik is related to, and that will be explored throughout the story. I'm taking that relationship in a different way than I've seen most people take it, so I hope you enjoy!_

 _The previous story to this one is "Legacy of Jarik Shan V1: Beginnings," hence why this one is called V2. It isn't completed yet, as it's not as important to the story, but it does provide an opening of how Jarik arrives at the Temple and becomes a Padawan if your interested. I'm still working on it, slowly but surely._


	2. Chapter 1 - Landing at Point Rain

**Jarik POV...**

 _I stood before the Jedi Council, awaiting the results of my trials to become a Padawan. I was buzzing with nervousness, fiddling with my hands in an attempt to keep the rest of me still. Finally, one of the Council members spoke._

 _"Initiate Shan, we have reached a decision, and we believe you have passed the trials, and are ready to become a Padawan." Master Windu said._

 _I could help the wide grin that spread across my face, and struggled to contain myself, screaming on the inside. "Yesss..." I whispered excitedly to myself._

 _"Thank you Masters," I told them happily, bowing respectfully._

 _"Your teacher, Master Kenobi will be." Master Yoda says, and my eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Learn from him you will, become a Jedi, you shall."_

 _I look over at Master Kenobi in stunned surprise, still in a state of disbelief. I was going to be the apprentice of THE Master Kenobi? Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi General and the Negotiator?_

 _I'll be looking forwards to teaching you Jarik," Master Kenobi says, nodding his head with a small smile._

* * *

After learning who was going to be my master, and getting a moment of privacy, I let out all my excitement and joy. Pretty quickly, word got to my best friend Ahsoka, and she congratulated me happily, the two of us sharing some friendship time with each other, also managing to meet up with the rest of our youngling clan, who also congratulated me. Before I knew it however, it was time to go on my first mission in the Clone War with my new Master.

So let me tell you something right now. My first mission?

It sucks. Like... a lot!

At first I was excited to go on my first mission as Master Kenobi's new Padawan learner. What was even better was the fact that he and Master Skywalker go on frequent mission's together all the time, which meant I would be able to go on mission's with Ahsoka more than I anticipated! It was going to be awesome!

Yet here I am in the middle of a circle of broken tanks, fighting off a never-ending army of bugs and droids...

You know what, let's just start from the beginning.

 _ **ONE HOUR EARLIER**_

For our first assignment together, me, Master Kenobi and Master Mundi were taking a massive fleet to Geonosis alongside Master Skywalker and Ahsoka. I remember reading about Geonosis before. It was the battle that started the Clone Wars all across the galaxy, and many Jedi Knight's were killed in the effort to rescue Master's Kenobi and Skywalker, as well as Senator Amidala. So I know that this mission is probably going to be hard. Our cruisers exited hyperspace, and I was given my first view of the desert planet. It was very red.

"I cannot believe we are back here again." Master Kenobi said. I stood to his left while Master Mundi stood to his right.

"It is unfortunate. The resistance from the native Geonosians was stronger than we anticipated." Master Mundi said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "The same can be said for their loyalty to Count Dooku."

"A fact that was overlooked." Mater Mundi said.

"Well that's comforting Master." I said. Master Kenobi gave me a sad smile.

The doors to the bridge and out walked Anakin and Ahsoka. She gave me a grin and I waved back to her.

"You're late," Master Kenobi said, crossing his arms.

Anakin grinned. "Sorry Master. Ahsoka and I were busy rerouting Seppies near Dorin."

"My squadron along had 55 kills," she said proudly. Anakin turned to her. "Yeah, but mine had 76."

"Show off," Ahsoka said, shaking her head.

"Can I compete for a kill count?" I asked

"No. ~ Sure! ~ I'd beat you." Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Anakin all said at the same time, and I looked at all of them with a blank stare.

"Alright then," I deadpanned. Ahsoka giggled as I rolled my eyes.

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves." Master Kenobi said.

"It's just a little friendly competition Master, nothing to worry about." Master Skywalker assured him.

"What I worry about is the way this war seems to be drawing out with no end in sight." Master Kenobi said gravely.

"Which is why it is crucial our invasion of Geonosis meets with success." Master Mundi says with a nod.

Anakin nods. "Agreed. Ahsoka, contact the Outer Rim command. We're ready for our briefing."

"They're already waiting Master," she says.

We walk over to the table in the inner part of the bridge where the holograms of Master's Yoda, Windu, Luminara and Chancellor Palpatine are shown with the layout of the soon-to-be Geonosis battleground in front of them. Master Kenobi begins to speak.

"Our ships are in position, and we are ready to begin our campaign against the Geonosians," he says.

 _"And what about Poggle? Any report on his location?"_ Master Windu asks.

Master Kenobi zooms in on the map to point out different areas. "It seems he's holed up at the primary droid foundry here. The factory is protected by a shield generator. Anakin, Ki-Adi and I shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defense lines to a staging area just short of the shield. Once we've landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target."

The Chancellor studies the strategy with a worried frown. _"Isn't it risky committing three generals to one area of the attack? If something went wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow,"_ he says in concern.

 _"To ensure that rise again Geonosis will not, capture Poggle we must."_ Master Yoda says firmly.

" _Of course. As always I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi,"_ he says in agreement.

Master Kenobi nods. "Our thanks, Chancellor."

 _"May the Force be with you."_ Master Windu says. The holograms of everyone except Master Luminara disappear, leaving the battlefield for Geonosis. The doors opened to reveal Commander Cody and Captain Rex entered the room. I hadn't met Cody yet, the Commander me and Obi-Wan would fight alongside, but he told me that Cody was a brave, kind, and loyal soldier to work with.

"Good, Cody. These are the coordinates for the rendezvous." Master Kenobi said. Cody nods.

"Yes sir. When we hit the ground, we'll create a perimeter. Getting past their defenses here will be the trick," he says, pointing to a heavily fortified area. "General Mundi will come across the defensive lines from the north. We'll make our assault through the middle. General Skywalker will make his attack on the defensive lines from the South, and we will meet at rendezvous point at 0700 exactly."

I could see why Master Kenobi admires the man. He makes the plan look good and simple, and effective. However as I studied it, I noticed that if not everything goes according to plan, then we could be in big trouble. Master Mundi noticed as well.

"If we meet with strong resistance and are forced down away from the landing zone, hold out until we join our forces before attacking the shield generator," he says.

"Their front lines are heavily fortified." Ahsoka says worriedly. She points to something on the map. "Look at that giant wall with a the gun emplacements."

"Don't worry Snips, we aren't going anywhere near that." Anakin reassures.

"Come now. What happened to all that enthusiasm I saw earlier?" Obi-Wan asks with a grin. I study the wall for a moment. "If we do come across it, I could... possibly disable the wall," I said. Everyone but Ahsoka looks at me in surprise.

"You could?" Master Kenobi asks.

I nod. "Yeah. In my free time at the Temple, I did develop a hobby of becoming an expert slicer," I say timidly. Ahsoka grins. "He's right. I've seen him do crazy things before."

Master Kenobi nods in approval. "Well that's a good thing to know Jarik," he says with a smile, and I smile back.

"Well Master, look. Don't worry about us. You just make sure you get to that landing zone in one piece." Master Skywalker says with a grin.

"Yes, and we shall be waiting for you when we finally arrive." Master Kenobi retorts. Me and Ahsoka share a look and shake our heads in amusement.

"Gentlemen, if you are quite finished we have a battle to begin." Master Luminara says, breaking up the playful banter.

"Quite right," Master Kenobi agrees. "Cody, prep the gunships. We'll meet you in the hanger."

Cody nods with a salute. "Yes sir." He then heads off to begin prepping the 212th, with Captain Rex following him.

"Well Jarik, ready to get your hands dirty?" Master Kenobi asks me.

"Right behind you Master," I responded eagerly

As we start to head to the hanger, Ahsoka calls out to me with a challenge. "I expect a proper score from you when this is over Jarik!"

I roll my eyes. "Don't worry Missy, it'll be properly above you!"

Master Skywalker laughs at Ahsoka while Obi-Wan shakes his head in amusement.

* * *

Once we reached the hanger, it was bustling with activity. Troopers were running around to prep fighters for aerial combat, enter their gunships, and prepping their weapons. Me, Master Kenobi and Commander Cody were walking to one of the gunships.

"No sir, I wasn't involved in the first assault on Geonosis." Cody says.

"Well you didn't miss much. Last time I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monsters." Master Kenobi said. I gape at him. "Wait what? You're serious Master?" I said in surprise. He nods. "Oh yes, it was absurd. Anakin actually managed to tame one of them," he says.

"That sounds..." Cody begins, trying to find the right word to say. "...entertaining."

"It was, for the Geonosians." Master Kenobi said, entering the gunship. I moved to follow but he stopped me.

"For this mission Jarik, I want you to travel with Cody to the surface. He'll help familiarize you with the aspects of battle," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "For my first mission ever I'm already going without you Master?" I asked in confusion.

"I trust you to help Cody in commanding the troops incase something happens and I fail to land properly. This'll be a good test for you." Master Kenobi told me. I nodded my head in understanding. "Alright Master. Just make sure you land like Master Skywalker expects you."

With a nod from Obi-Wan the gunship door closes, and the first wave of ships flew out into the battlefield.

"Well I hope this goes well," I say in concern.

"Don't worry sir. General Kenobi has made it through worse." Cody reassures me.

"Only fourteen and a half years old and I'm already referred to as sir." I remark. "Is that weird?"

Cody hesitates for a moment for replying. "I'm not sure. We're in a similar position ourselves sir."

I shrugged. "Well, guess we better get to our gunships. Lead the way Commander." I said.

"Yes sir! Cody nodded, and we headed for our own ships.

* * *

To be honest, at first I was expecting heavy resistance and a bumpy flight from what I was sensing of the battlefield, but our flight along with our other gunships and tanks was actually fairly decent. Probably due to our force being a part of one of the later waves.

"I would say I'm a bit let down by the lack of resistance, but I'm not going to spoil our good luck," I remark.

One of the clones nods. "Yeah, but I'm ready to show these bugs some real firepower!"

His buddy playfully smacks his shoulder. "Quiet Boil."

"What? You know you want to take some some of those punks Waxer!" Boil exclaims to Waxer. I shake my head with a grin. I could get used to those two!

However, the fun was interrupted by Cody's comlink going off as Master Mundi's Commander Jet contacted him. _"Cody, come in Cody! Cody! Get the tanks down!"_

"Copy that. Pilot, begin landing sequence!" Cody orders.

"Copy that Commander, have fun down there!" the pilot says.

Our gunships all begin landing as I mentally prepare myself for battle. While reading about historical wars and battle is interesting, I have no clue what a real battle will be like, so I make sure I'm prepared in any way possible.

"Boil!" I say, getting his attention.

"Yes sir?" he responds. I give him a smirk. "I expect plenty of droid hands when this is over!"

While he has his helmet on I can sense the smirk on his face. "Sir yes sir!"

Cody shakes his head. "Keep that up and they'll never live it down sir," he tells me.

"Well, better to have fun doing something. Makes is less awful in my opinion." I tell him. We land, and the doors open up. Everyone immediately piles out the gunships and almost right afterwards we start getting pepper by blaster fire. I activate my lightsaber and deflect a few shots that head in our direction.

"Move it, move it!" Cody orders the men. Explosions begin to sound as both sides bring out their heavy weaponry.

"Here they come, bugs incoming!" Waxer exclaims, shooting at a few in the distance.

As I block a few shots, I look around the area, sensing that the enemy is moving to surround us. They have a lot more numbers than we anticipated.

"Landing here is going to be difficult Cody! Tell Master Kenobi to find someplace else!" I tell the Commander. He nods and activates his comlink while I provide cover for him.

"General Kenobi, don't land. The zone is hot!" Cody says.

I manage to catch Master Kenobi's response. _"But there's nowhere else to go!"_

After a few moments he speaks into the comlink again. _"We're hit! We're going down!"_ he exclaims before the comlink fizzles out. I start to get worried. Already the plan is going south and we're getting pinned down, but I do my best to shake it off. Having a panic attack in the middle of battle won't help anybody except the Geonosians.

"Cody, their trying to surround us!" I tell him, sensing the enemy movements. "We need to use the tanks and gunships to cover our flank!" I exclaim. Cody nods in agreement. "Yes sir!" As he goes off to get the tanks in position, I sense something coming straight for me. I turn to see a bug flying at me, screaming wildly. I move out of the way and slice it in half. I shudder at the thought of my first kill, but press on. This day is starting to suck...

* * *

So here we are, back in my current position. Broken tanks surrounding us, a few turrets operational and Separatist forces moving all around us. Oh, and Master Kenobi is nowhere to be found.

"Sir!" Cody says, moving next to me as he fires his blaster rifle, taking down a flying bug. "General Skywalker just requested tank support, but we're pinned down!"

Perfect.

"Tell him that we don't have a way of helping him! If we separate some of our tanks then the bugs could overrun us!" I tell Cody.

"Yes sir!" As Cody moves off the relay the command to Captain Rex, I suddenly sense a presence in the force. I look over to where I feel it and see a downed gunship a little bit away from our square. Separatist forces have yet to reach that ship, and I'm sensing two people still alive in there, one of which I'm sure is Master Kenobi.

I headed towards two of the men who were observing that battlefield with their binoculars. Cody was currently with them.

"Cody, get Waxer and Boil! I believe Master Kenobi and another trooper are trapped in that gunship just east of us!" I tell him, pointing in its direction. He looks at the gunship and nods in agreement, seeing the area is still free of gunships. I turn towards the two lookouts, blocking a shot.

"How's it looking out there?" I ask.

"Not good. The bugs are splitting up!" One of them tells me.

"Great! They went from a bee to a wasp," I comment sarcastically. "See if you can predict where they're headed!" I order him.

"Yes sir!" came the trooper's response.

Just then Waxer and Boil came up to Cody and me.

"Boil/Waxer reporting as ordered sir!" they say in unison.

"We've got a downed gunship just 5 clicks east. We believe it's General Kenobi's. I need you two to get out there and find check for survivors!" Cody informs them. They nod in understanding.

"Sir yes sir!"

"I'll cover for you guys!" I say, heading out in the zone with the two.

As soon as we leave the safety of the tanks, we start drawing enemy fire from all directions. I begin to block or dodge shots like crazy, while Cody gets the tanks to lay down cover fire. It's a good thing that Waxer and Boil were very good at what they do, because there is no way I'd be able to stop all the shots headed in their direction. I notice a green Geonosian blast headed for me and narrow my eyes, jumping over it with a flip.

Eventually we reach the gunship without a scratch and put our backs against the door.

"Well that was fun!" I exclaimed.

"Why do we always get the fun missions?" Boil grumbles.

"Oh this isn't the fun part. Getting back to the square is the fun part!" Waxer exclaims.

"I should come with you guys next time!" I say, standing up to cut through the gunship door. Waxer and Boil give me cover while I do that, and eventually I create a wide and tall enough hole to walk through. I quickly head through to see Obi-Wan and another clone move their heads to look at us. I notice the rest of them dead and struggle to keep it together.

"Master Kenobi!" I say, as Waxer and Boil help the two up.

"Jarik, Waxer, Boil, am I glad to see you. Trapper and I are the only ones still alive." he says.

"Good to see you sir. Commander Cody and Commander Shan have established a square just beyond this position. the bugs are on the move and trying to surround us as we speak sir!" Waxer says, helping Master Kenobi up while Boil helps Trapper. I pick up Master Kenobi's lightsaber, seeing it had fallen off in the crash.

"Including this gunship, so we better move!" I said.

We exit the ship and once we're out of the gunships protection, Geonosians start to fire at us. I activate both sabers that I'm holding and walk backwards behind our group as they help Trapper and Obi-Wan to the square. Wielding two blades feels a little awkward but I manage to adjust to a Form III stance to better deflect blaster fire. Cody gets the tanks to fire at the forces advancing behind us while I deflect the shots that threaten to hit Waxer, Boil, Trapper or Obi-Wan.

Once we get close enough, two trooper run out with me to help cover us, and they fire at the bugs whose shots I block. Finally we make it past the tanks. I notice that the gunship is already overrun by bugs and AAT tanks.

"Are you injured General?" Cody asks in concern.

"No, nothing too serious."

I scoff. "What a lie Master."

He shrugs, before wincing as Waxer helps him down. Boil carries Trapper somewhere else to receive medical aid.

"What's the situation here?" Master Kenobi asks while a medical trooper injects a painkiller serum into his neck.

"We've got no air cover, and two Generals on the ground beyond our position, and a mess of bugs surrounding us. They were more than prepared for us sir. They knew our every move." Cody informs him.

I deflect a shot of blaster fire as Master Kenobi responds.

"Well I'm sure General Skywalker and General Mundi will make it to our position. We just have to make sure we're still here when we arrive," Master Kenobi says. Cody nods in understanding.

"Yes sir!"

As Cody heads off to relay orders to the troops, I kneel down next to Obi-Wan and hand him his lightsaber. "You dropped something Master."

"Thank you Jarik. I must say I'm impressed by how you've handled things so far." Master Kenobi tells me. I manage a small smile. "Well, when you decided to go and crash and leave Master Skywalker's promise unfulfilled, I had to react to the spur of the moment Master." I tell him. "Once this is over I'm probably... going to take an hour to wash away the... horror of battle." I manage to say, my voice breaking a little.

Master Kenobi lays a hand on my shoulder. "You've done well for your first battle Jarik, especially considering the scale of it as well."

"Thank you Master."

* * *

This was bad, so bad, so very very bad! Now the bugs don't have have flanked, they have us completely surrounded! We've lost a tank already, and two of our gunships have been blown up. It's gotten to the point that bugs have been flying over us and attacking from the air!

I blocked shots left and right, then looked to my left, diving out of the way of a tank shell just in time. I glanced in Master Kenobi's direction again to see a tank shell hit near his position, blowing a trooper away. One Geonosian tried to blindside me, but luckily I stabbed him just in time before throwing his body at another flyer using the force. I noticed them moving to take at the gunners on the tanks.

"Lay down cover fire for the tank gunners! Keep the bugs away from them!" I yell out.

Cody and Boil shot down a Geonosian that was attempting to take out one gunner, and I threw my lightsaber at another, stabbing him through the chest as he tried to kill another gunner. I called my lightsaber back to me and performed a backflip after sensing one fly at me from behind, slicing it down the middle while doing so.

Another one of our tanks exploded from sheer overwhelming force, and I gritted my teeth, feeling the deaths of the men around me while they shouted orders to each other. I admit I was scared, frightened, and had no idea what else to do, but I pressed on, knowing that stopping to dwell on my fear meant death. I could only hope Ahsoka was having better luck.

* * *

Eventually, a few squads of Geonisians riding on speeders came towards us, and started shooting at the gun emplacements that we set up inside the protection of the gunships. They were doing quite of bit of damage, with the Geonosian weapons being capable of dealing area damage to our forces. I saw one be brave enough to come very close to us, so I glared at it and closed my eyes in concentration, holding out my hand. A second later I made a pulling motion, and the leader of that small group suddenly flipped through the air by some unseen force, crashing into his fellow Geonosians, causing an explosion that took out a squad of them.

I grinned at my success, but it quickly went away as another cannon was blown up, forcing us into an even tighter circle. The men around us all screamed with pain, battle cries or orders being given as we all circled around Master Kenobi with whatever was left of us. I deflected a shot from hitting Cody, and then noticed Master Kenobi get up and activate his lightsaber, ready to fight with us or die trying. Our situation was grim, until one of the men spotted something.

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!" he yelled with joy.

I looked over and saw a squadron of Y-Wing bombers flying past us, letting their presents to the Geonosians fly. Everything around us that wasn't Republic was instantly brought down, and the fire almost immediately stopped. The clones all cheered in victory and relief, and Master Kenobi deactivated his lightsaber, sitting back down once he realized he didn't have to join in. I sighed in weariness and relief, deactivating mine as well.

"Master Kenobi, Jarik!" The sound of Ahsoka's voice made me look up and smile in relief as I saw Ahsoka, Master Skywalker and Master Mundi approach us with their forces. Ahsoka gave me a quick hug from relief and worry before kneeling to check on Obi-Wan, who laid a tired hand on her shoulder.

"Well what happened to you?" Anakin said with a small, tired grin.

"I might ask you the same question." Master Kenobi responded.

I coughed, "He got blown up, bruised his ribs." I continued to cough while Master Kenobi sent me a glare, though I could tell it was light-hearted. Anakin grinned and Ahsoka managed a small laugh.

* * *

"Our combined forces should be enough to destroy the shield generator." Obi-Wan said, gesturing to the hologram we managed to set up. "Anakin, you, Ahsoka and Jarik will need to take a small squad through the shield, as close as you can to their gun emplacements. From there, you'll be able to temporarily jam their scanners so that they are unable to target the incoming tanks. Once the tanks knock out the shield, Master Mundi can bring in the rest of the troops with the gunships."

We nod in agreement. "Consider it done Master." Anakin says.

* * *

Master Skywalker was standing by with his own squad, and across the field, me and Ahsoka stood with our own group, Captain Rex and Commander Cody on our side. Currently we were waiting for the signal to begin.

"So, how was your part of the mission?" Ahsoka asked me. I shook my head in disbelief. "You have no idea... never mind you probably do. It sucked!" I exclaimed. Ahsoka shakes her head with a grin. "Well this was your first mission. We had to face that giant wall."

I stared at her quizzically. "The wall that in the briefing room Master Skywalker said you wouldn't go by, which I then responded to that I could possibly shut it down?" I asked. She nods.

"Well. He lied." Was all I could say.

"Sir, the attack is beginning." Captain Rex said. We looked across the field to see Master Skywalker waving his lightsaber around for the signal. Ahsoka took hers and waved it in confirmation.

"Well, let's roll." I muttered, activating my lightsaber.

We charged through the shield, and were immediately met by laser fire from Geonosians that were waiting for us. Me and Ahsoka blocked and deflected numerous shots, though not in time for a few of the men to get taken out. A few bugs attempted to take away some of the clones as well, so I did my best to slice them out of the air before they could.

After a few moments, our squad and Master Skywalker's squad converged together, as we charged up the hill in the direction of the massive tower. Me, Ashoka and Master Skywalker took cover behind a few boulders while the clones fired at the bugs.

"Let's jam their scanners: now!" Master Skywalker yelled, prompting us to throw our droid poppers are far as we could. They landed underneath the guns and knocked them out. Seeing the opportunity, Anakin called in the tanks.

Three AT-TE walkers walked through the shield and aimed to the cannons, firing at them. The Geonosians attempted to fire back, but it was too late. We watch as the tanks destroyed the entire shield generator, debris falling onto the Geonosians. Once the shield lifted, three gunships flew towards us and helped to clean up the remaining Separatist forces. Master Mundi came out and deflected a few blasts, while I sliced through another Geonosian. Within seconds, the Geonosians all whined and dropped their weapons, lifting their arms in surrender.

At last this nightmare of a battle was over.

* * *

Master Skywalker was helping Master Kenobi to a gunship, while Ahsoka and I walked next to him side-by-side.

"So Master, what was your total?" Ahsoka asked. During this exchange I began a mental headcount of all the kills I got.

Anakin sighed. "Not now Ahsoka."

"Come on. Are you afraid you lost this time?" Ahsoka asked with a teasing grin.

This did the trick. "55. that's my count." he said. My eyes lit up.

"60. Guess I won." Ahsoka said.

"Yeah... but I called in the air strike, tie!" Anakin said, trying to salvage his dignity. Ahsoka shook her head. "You're impossible."

"Guess what? I got 63." I said smugly. Anakin and Ahsoka gaped at me. "What? No way I was beaten by a Padawan on their first mission." Anakin shook his head in denial. I smirked at him. "First time for everything." Ahsoka laughed at Anakin's defeated face. Master Kenobi sighed. "Not you too Jarik. First mission as a Padawan and you're already taking after Anakin. I'll never understand how you can simplify these battles into some kind of game."

I shrugged, stepping into the gunship with him. For the next part of the mission me, Master Kenobi and Master Mundi would be hanging back for it, allowing Master Skywalker and Master Luminara to take charge.

"I expect to see the three of you back here by the time I've destroyed the main factory." Anakin announced.

"65 Skywalker." Master Mundi said.

"Umm, sorry?" Master Skywalker said in confusion.

"My total, 65. So what do I win?" Master Mundi asks. Anakin seems speechless as Obi-Wan grins at him.

"Master everlasting respect Master Mundi." he finally says. Master Mundi's face falls, seemingly disappointed.

"Oh," he says. I laugh at his disappointed expression.

"That is a gift Anakin rarely bestows, I assure you." Master Kenobi says. I shake my head in amusement and grip the handles as the gunship door closes and we take off for our very much earned break.

* * *

 _So there's the first mission in the Clone Wars for Jarik Shan! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm not sure when I'll update this story next but it'll be as soon as possible for my schedule! :D_

 _ **EDIT (10/3/18):** I've brushed up on the writing, fixed it up a little bit. Over the course of my stories I've grown much better at writing things down, and you'll see it continue to progress as you continue reading this. My style of writing only gets better and easier to understand as time goes on. I've just wanted to touch up on some things in these early chapters._


	3. Chapter 2 - Legacy of Terror

_**Republic Outpost - Geonosis**_

 **Jarik POV...**

After a good day or so of rest from the initial invasion of Geonosis, me and Master Kenobi were ready to head back out into the field for cleanup. While the factory was destroyed by Ahsoka and Barriss, in a manner which scared the living force out of me when I heard the news, we still had to find Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser, which me, Master Kenobi, Master Luminara and Master Mundi were put in charge of doing. I wasn't to thrilled to be combing this desert planet for the leading bug, and I'm sure Master Kenobi wasn't either. Currently we were riding to the surface on a gunship.

"I can't wait to leave this pile of sand for good Master," I say.

"I certainly don't like this planet either young one, but we aren't going anywhere until we find Poggle," Master Kenobi tells me.

Soon enough we landed on a cliffside and headed over to Master Luminara.

"A hard-won victory," Master Kenobi says.

"Indeed. And a costly one. We suffer a great many losses in these battles. Too many," she replies in agreement.

"The battles do appear to be coming with growing frequency," Master Kenobi remarks.

"No sign of Poggle then?" she asks us.

I shake my head. "Not since the destruction of the factory Master."

"Even with clone squads searching over the entire area we haven't found anything," Master Kenobi adds in support of my statement.

"I'll go out and find some clue as to where he went," she decides, heading towards her speeder.

"I'm sure the clones can handle-" Obi-Wan begins to say, but is cut off.

"Poggle has too much information about the Separatists to let him get away," she tells him.

He sighs but nods in agreement. "Very well Master Unduli."

"Just make sure to leave a bit of strategic planning for me when I get back, Master Kenobi? I'd hate to feel left out," she says to us with a grin before speeding off, leaving a small cloud of dust.

"Besides finding Poggle, what else is there really to be done here Master?" I ask.

"Plenty more then you would think," he tells me. We enter our gunships again and fly off towards the command center where Master Mundi is waiting for us.

* * *

As we landed our gunships in their main base of operations on Geonosis, I couldn't help but think of how weird this felt. The first time we arrived was under heavy fire from every direction, being able to barely land a simple gunships. Not here we were landing Acclamator's and large cruisers in the camp. We entered the command center to find Master Mundi gazing at a holomap.

"What's this? I didn't expect to find you up and about," Master Kenobi says with a grin.

"After enough time in a bacta tank, one longs for the mundane comfort, of star charts," Master Mundi replies.

"Usually I head to the training room or chat up with some friends Master," I say with a small shrug.

"Well, everyone has different interests Padawan Shan," he replies to me.

"Well it does appear you time in the bacta tank did you some good," Master Kenobi says. "Your wound looks almost healed."

"I wish I could say the same for most of my men," Master Mundi says sadly.

Memories from the first battle flashed in my mind again and I internally flinched. I wouldn't forget the chaos and death that surrounded me for a long time. Holovids and books on the media make war seem like an exciting, interesting thing. How wrong they are. It leaves scars which can sometimes never heal.

"Let's just make sure we don't have to take Geonosis a third time," Master Kenobi says, and then pulls up a map of the planet, pointing towards the north. "Poggle's forces seem to have come from the Northern hemisphere."

"And where was Master Unduli's last known contact?" Master Mundi asks.

"The region farther to the West, although there's nothing out there according to our intel," Master Kenobi tells him.

"That looks like it's mostly made of desert plains Master," I say, studying the map with some slight confusion.

Master Kenobi nods in agreement. "Which is why it's odd for Master Unduli to be searching that area."

* * *

Soon enough, Master Unduli contacts us, and her hologram appears after I press the button to answer.

 _"We've found something. It appears to be a munitions crate of some kind,"_ she informs us.

"It could be just debris," Master Mundi says skeptically.

Apparently Master Unduli disagrees. _"I don't think so. There wasn't a battle in this area."_

Buzz says something from off the hologram. _"It looks like Poggle was on a direct course,"_ he says.

 _"Headed to the Progate Temple,"_ Master Unduli tells us.

"That makes no sense. Nothing in the Temple could've survived the munitions we used in the first wave of the attack. Why would he risk exposure to go there?" Master Mundi says in confusion.

 _"I'm not yet sure. Perhaps he doesn't realize the extent to which we cleared the area,"_ Master Unduli speculates.

I thought about if for a moment before remembering a crucial part of what I learned about Geonosians in classes at the Temple.

"Didn't Geonosian structures have catacombs beneath the outer building Master?" I ask. Master Unduli's eyes brighten at the thought.

 _"Perhaps. If so then he may seek refuge inside,"_ she says.

Just then Master Skywalker entered the room.

"Master Unduli, I'm tracking a sandstorm headed in your direction." he says.

 _"No matter. Poggle is out in the open and I intend to grab him before he can get off-world or enter the catacombs beneath the Temple."_ she says determinedly.

"I advise against it. You might get lost in the storm," Master Mundi says.

"Then we'd have to find both you and Poggle." Master Kenobi says gravely.

 _"I feel it is a risk worth taking,"_ she says.

"As you wish," Master Mundi says as the transmission ends.

* * *

While the storm is raging outside, we wait for Master Unduli to contact us, though some of us are impatient.

"What could be taking her so long? Something must have happened," he says, turning away from the window.

"Patience Skywalker. It's a delicate operation. I'm sure we'll have more information soon," Master Mundi says.

"It could be that the storm is causing to much interference. I haven't seen any contact yet Master," I tell him, studying the holo-table.

"I must admit, I'm troubled that we have not heard from her," Master Kenobi says.

"Let's not start worrying yet. Luminara is not one to take unnecessary risks," Master Mundi placates.

"I hope she isn't," I say to Master Skywalker, who looks more worried.

However soon enough I notice someone trying to make contact. I quickly boost the transmission as best as I can and see it's from Master Unduli.

"Master, she's managed to make contact, but I'm not sure how long it'll last," I say.

"Put it through," Master Kenobi says. I nod and accept the transmission. Master Unduli then appears on the holo-table.

 _"We tracked Poggle to the Progate Temple, but there's no sign of him,"_ Master Unduli says with a little frustration.

"Go no further until we can send support. The storm is making things difficult. We can barely read your transmission as it is," Master Kenobi says firmly.

"Are you sure he went into the Temple?" Master Mundi asks.

 _"Yes. We saw him enter, but I think he's gone into the catacombs below,"_ Master Unduli says.

"Those catacombs go on for miles. I fear we may have lost him. Get yourselves out of there." Master Kenobi says.

Just then, Buzz suddenly lets out a terrified and agonizing scream, causing Master Unduli to turn around and pull our her lightsaber. The transmission suddenly ends as I try to keep it online, but with no luck.

"Master Unduli? Master Unduli!" Obi-Wan exclaims.

"We lost the connection Master!" I tell him nervously.

Anakin suddenly began to walk off, catching Obi-Wan's attention. "And where do you think you're going?" he demands.

Anakin turns around in irritation. "Take a guess!"

"We'll never get to her in this storm. The gunships can't handle it," Master Kenobi says.

"We can't just wait!"

"i'm sorry Skywalker," Master Mundi says with a shake of his head. "We have no choice. We must be patient and trust in Master Unduli."

"We'll leave as soon as the storm lifts." Master Kenobi says.

I look at the holomap with worry. We were now in the clean-up stages of the assault on Geonosis yet we were still worring about attackers. And the way Buzz screamed... it made me shiver. That didn't sound like a normal scream from getting shot or hurt in battle. It sounded like he was horrified.. and being put through horrific agony.

* * *

 _ **Progate Temple - Geonosis**_

Once the storm was over we wasted no time in taking a gunship to Master Unduli's last known location. Me, Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker were going to lead this mission, along with a small squad of clones including Commander Cody, Boil, and Waxer. Soon enough, we reached the Temple, and the clones exited first, followed by us three.

Master Kenobi walked towards the Temple with me and Anakin on either side of him. Cody and the rest of the clones marched behind us in formation. Even in broad daylight this place was already giving me the creeps.

"Stay alert everyone," Master Kenobi says. Once we enter the temple we glance around.

"Spead out and look around men," Anakin says. The clones all search the area, blasters at the ready and can't help but feel a shiver up my spine. I look up to see some weird, evil looking bug statues staring at us from the top of the walls.

Not creepy at all.

"General!" Cody exclaims. We quickly rush to his position where we see one of Luminara's troopers on the ground, his head and a couple of limbs turned in... the wrong ways. I quickly glance away from the brutal corpse.

"Oh no..." Waxer says grimly

"Buzz is dead," Cody tells us.

"Any sign of Luminara?" Anakin asks quickly.

"No sir," Boil reports. "I'm not seeing anything anywhere."

Master Kenobi glances around with narrow eyes, his gaze settling on a half open hole in the ground.

"There was a struggle," he observes.

I walk around before a flash of silver catches my eye. I head over and see something that fills me with dread. Luminara's lightsaber.

"Master," I say, picking it up. Anakin and Obi-Wan head over to me and I hold the lightsaber out to them.

Obi-Wan's brow creases in worry as he takes it. "This is not a good sign. Luminara's lightsaber."

"Poggle didn't do this," Anakin says, glancing up at the top of the doorway. "But maybe that did."

We all look up to see the most hideous statue I'd ever seen before. It seemed fat and evil looking, with a giant crown or headdress of some sort on its head.

"That, is one, ugly, bug!" Cody says in disgust.

I nod in agreement. "Couldn't say it better myself."

"Ah what does it matter? Ugly bug, but the same mess is made when you squash em," Boil says confidently.

"I've never seen one that looks like that before." Anakin says.

"I don't believe anyone has. It could be, the Geonosian Queen." Obi-Wan theorizes.

"The bugs have a queen?" Anakin asks in surprise and disgust. I shiver at the idea.

"Think you can squash a queen?" Waxer quietly asks Boil.

"Rumored. But we haven't found any proof of her existence," he says. We all look down the dark hallway that leads into the catacombs.

"Until now." Anakin says.

"If that's their version of beauty, I can't imagine what the word, 'cute' means to them." I say, shuddering at the idea.

Anakin and some of the clones shudder as well in disgust, thought Master Kenobi is more composed.

"This way," Obi-Wan says, activating his lightsaber and starting down into the catacombs.

"I was afraid you'd say that Master." I sigh, following suit along with Anakin.

"Come on then, let's move." Cody tells the men.

We begin our creepy walk into the darkness, our lightsabers giving off a creepy, blue glow that leaves shadows along the walls. I hate Geonosis 100 times more now than I did 30 minutes ago now.

* * *

After some time, we had spent a few minutes checking the catacombs, with no clear idea with where to go, except for me, Anakin and Obi-Wan using the force to guide us. Cody was using some sort of device to read which pathway would go deepest into the catacombs. The place just felt wrong, the force constantly giving us warning sounds, the silence seemingly louder than the battlefield I took place in over a day ago.

"This one leads to a dead end," Cody says, bringing the group to a stop. He then kneels beside a small open hole and checks it.

"This one goes down the furthest." he says, looking at Obi-Wan. "Sir, I'd say that's our best bet."

Obi-Wan nods, crouching at the entrance. "I'll go first."

"Please, by all means," I mutter quiety.

Anakin goes next and then I follow him, the clones all following behind me.

Once I exit the small tunnel, I look around, the light from the clone's helmets allowing for a better view, and see a mass of bones covering the sides of the tunnel. The Force continues to send warning signs at me, but I push them away, trying to ignore the feeling of how wrong this place feels.

The sound of Obi-Wan's transmitter going off suddenly makes me jump in surprise. Master Kenobi pulls it out and we see a hologram of Luminara kneeling, with force-binders on her wrists.

 _"Master Kenobi, if you're following me you need to leave this place, just get out! I repeat, fall back-"_ she's suddenly cut off by a group of weird looking bugs grabbing her as the transmission ends.

"She must be close by, come on!" Master Kenobi exclaims.

We all take off at a sprint, running further down into the corridor before Master Kenobi suddenly stops. I glance around fearfully, the force screaming wrongness and danger, and we look ahead of us to see a group of weird, pale looking Geonosians. They walk forward slowly, almost as if in a trance, their eyes a bright milky white.

"I don't like the looks of this!" Master Kenobi exclaims.

"Oh come on, what can they do against a few good blasters?" Boil asks eagerly, reading his weapons.

We hear chattering noises from behind us, and Anakin turns around to view more of them, Cody going with him. I stay with Master Kenobi, and within moments the bugs launch themselves at us.

"Look out!" Cody exclaims.

Blaster fire fills the air as me, Obi-Wan and Anakin slice the first group apart. However after that we notice something that scares the living force out of me. Boil let's loose a shot at ones face, and his head gets knocked back. However the bug looks forward again, the blaster mark prominent on its face, and it screams in rage.

"What the?!" Boil exclaims in shock.

"We can't stop them!" Cody yells.

My eyes widen in shock and disgust, and I slice the head off of one that charges for me.

Master Kenobi takes out two more before we notice two bugs dragging two of the clones away, with them screaming in fear. My eyes narrow angrily. I may be terrified but if I can do something then I'm going to do it!

Master Kenobi goes after one while I launch myself at the other. I tackle the bug to the ground, but my lightsaber unfortunately slides out of my hand. The bug manages to roll on top of me and I barely manage to hold it back. It screams while wildly throwing its fists in my direction, and I notice some kind of worm thing travel across its nose. I groan in disgust and manage to call my lightsaber to my hand, stabbing it in the chest and pushing it away.

As I get up however, it immediately charges right at me again!

"Why. Won't. You. Die!" I exclaim, slicing it with every word I say before finishing it by decapitating it cleanly.

The body falls to the floor, It's limbs all missing and I back away in horror, the clone I saved following me. I notice that Master Kenobi wasn't able to save the one he tried to rescue.

"Back everyone back! Take out the tunnel supports it's the only way!" Obi-Wan exclaims, pulling me back along with Anakin.

The clones change their fire from the bugs to the ceiling, burying them all. Me, Anakin and Obi-Wan herd the clones through the tunnel, jumping through ourselves after everyone made it. Dust flies through from the destroyed rocks after us, and I stand back up, coughing as I did so.

"What was that you said about squashing the bugs?" Waxer asks Boil irritably.

"What were those things?!" Anakin asks. "We couldn't kill them!"

"I've heard stories of a Geonosian hive mind so powerful, it can reconnect with its warriors, even after they have died," Master Kenobi says grimly, leaning against the wall.

"And you think that's why we couldn't kill them? Because they're..."

"Already dead, yes." Obi-Wan finishes. I am shocked.

"Why is that kind of crap even a thing? You only see those in creepy... weird... holo-movies!" I exclaim.

"That's impossible! It can't be true." Anakin says in disbelief.

"Impossible or not, these creatures keep moving after we cut them up or shoot them down," Master Kenobi says gravely.

"If's that is true... the number of dead Geonosian's, as well as the inability to kill them could cause a devastating impact on our forces stationed here," I say worriedly. Obi-Wan nods in agreement.

"Call for reinforcements," he tells me. I attempt to get a signal out from my wrist com but there's no answer.

"Signal isn't strong enough. We're down to deep Master," I tell him.

Obi-Wan frowns before looking to two of our troopers. "You two, head back to the surface and contact General Mundi. Tell him we need reinforcements."

"Yes sir," they nod before quickly heading back to the surface. I can sense that they're relieved to be out of here and I don't blame them.

"Well aren't they lucky," Boil mutters tome and Waxer, and I nod in agreement.

"The rest of us need to find Luminara as quickly as possible. We know she's still alive." Master Kenobi says.

We continue our trek down into the catacombs, searching for a new direction. It wasn't much longer before we suddenly hear the sound of the clones screaming in fear.

Me and Anakin glance at each other in alarm before we all rush in the direction that the two troopers went. Once we reach them though we were too late, forgot we found their bodies splayed out across the ground, head and limbs twisted in unnatural ways. I cover my mouth with my hand.

"Oh no," I say fearfully.

"Kriffing bugs!" Boil curses angrily.

"Obviously the thing's more powerful then we thought," Anakin says in frustration. "I'm going to alert General Mundi myself."

He begins to leave before Obi-Wan stops him.

"I think that would be a foolhardy move Anakin. We can't divide our troops again. every moment we waste puts Luminara in greater danger," he says gravely.

"Best for everyone to stay in sight then," I conclude grimly.

* * *

After a bit longer, we managed to reach an area in the tunnels that feels a lot warmer, and also smelled awful as well.

"The air is warmer here," Obi-Wan observes. "We must be getting close."

I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"Forget the heat, it smells down here." Anakin says. I nod my head in agreement. The clones were so lucky that they had helmets on.

"Anakin, keep your voice down." Master Kenobi scolds.

"I'm just saying, this planet is rotten from the inside out," Anakin quietly says harshly.

"I'm never coming back to Geonosis again," I say with a shudder.

"Here here," Waxer says in agreement.

We then come across a corner next to an open space. Master Kenobi motions for the troopers to put their headlamps out, and we take a peek. Sitting in the center of the room, illuminated by a pale light is what should be the queen. I put a hand over my mouth in disgust. Apparently the queen is a giant, slimy worm with the head of a small Geonosian's body, similar to the statue we saw at the entrance.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Anakin says.

"It must be the Queen," Obi-Wan concludes.

"Can she even move?" I quietly ask.

"That bug's way to fat for that," Boil says in disgust. Cody then pulls out his infrared scanner and checks out the room.

"Any sign of Luminara?" Anakin asks.

"I see her. She's suspended near the throne," Cody says.

"What about Poggle?" Anakin asks.

"He's, speaking with the Queen," he tells us.

"Perfect. You two take the soldiers, I'll take the Queen." Anakin says. My face scrunches up in disgust.

"What are you gonna do with that toothpick of a lightsaber compared to her blubberiness?!" I whisper.

"Must you always rush into things?" Obi-Wan asks.

"Oh no! You don't actually want to talk to it do you?" Anakin demands incredulously. I stare at Master Kenobi in disbelief.

"Actually, Master Skywalker's plan is good! Let's go with his slash and stab method!" I quickly say, and Anakin nods in agreement.

"As a matter of fact I do. Don't you two wonder why they took Luminara captive? Why not just kill her?" Master Kenobi says.

"Hostage?" I suggest.

"Leverage?" Anakin says.

"Leverage for what? No, there's something else going on here, and these zombies are connected to it!" Master Kenobi says. I groan in disgust. I really don't want to talk to that thing. It's gross!

"Fine. We'll try it your way," Anakin finally says in resignation.

"This is the worst mission ever," I groan.

"Absolutely stupid," Boil mutters, only to get nudged by Waxer.

"So glad you agree." Master Kenobi beams. "Cody, set your men up around the perimeter. These creatures live in darkness. The light from your helmet should blind them temporarily. Turn your lamps on at my signal. That should create enough confusion to get Luminara out of here."

"But what happens when the bugs pursue? You've seen them in action sir, we can't kill them." Cody says in concern.

"We'll have to bury them. It'll at least slow them down. Shoot out the support pillars, and this whole place will collapse," Anakin says, and Cody nods in agreement.

"Let's go." Master Kenobi says.

I shiver, but walk out with him and Anakin. We head straight down the center, while the clones move out around the perimeter. The bugs all turn to look at us along with Poggle, while the Queen roars upon seeing us.

"How, did you know they wouldn't attack us?" Anakin asks.

"Because I make observations while you think with your lightsaber," he replies.

"Well that quick thinking of mine is usually needed when your observations get us into trouble," Anakin argues.

"I have to agree with him Master. Do you really expect to be able to negotiate with a giant bug worm whose home we've been blowing up?" I ask doubtfully.

Anakin nods in agreement. "He has a point."

"Anakin, Jarik, the Queen took Luminara hostage. She wanted a Jedi, now she has three more. I want to know what she's after," Master Kenobi says.

One of the bugs growls at me and I quickly move away from it, laying a hand on my lightsaber.

"Well, when this goes wrong, which it will, I'll be ready," Anakin says.

"So will I," I tell him.

"That is so reassuring," Master Kenobi says dryly. Master Luminara looks up and stares at us.

"I thought I told you NOT, to follow me Master Kenobi?" she says.

"Yes, well I took a lesson from Anakin and decided NOT, to follow orders," he replies, causing Anakin to frown at him.

"Hey.."

Despite the situation I manage a small grin at the irritation that Anakin shows. While our mission sucks, working with these two and Ahsoka is probably the best deal I could've gotten from it.

"You... you are the creatures that attacked Geonosia!" the Queen cries. "Why have you come before me?!"

"Your majesty, it is a pleasure to finally meet you!" Master Kenobi greets.

"Yeah, a real pleasure," I mutter to Anakin.

"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is Anakin Skywalker, as well as my Padawan Jarik Shan! It is our sad duty to inform you that your rule is at an end," he says.

"YOU not dictate ME Jedi!" the Queen screeches angrily. "MY Empire is forever...!"

"I'm afraid it does not appear that way your grace. You shall release the Jedi Luminara and submit to Republic law!" Master Kenobi tells her.

Yeah I'm sure she'll take that very well.

The Queen begins to scream in rage, throwing her hands in the air while I flinch at the sight. Absolutely repulsive.

"I... no submit to you Jedi!" she says, the two only living normal Geonosians pointing their blasters at us. Anakin activates his lightsaber and I pull the hilt off my belt.

"No, wait!" Master Kenobi tells us. The Geonosian sentries take all four of our lightsabers and walk towards Poggle.

"Majesty, destroying us shall only make the Republic's judgement of you harsher." Master Kenobi says.

The Queen frowns. "No Jedi, NO! I no destroy you," she says, a sinister grin appearing on her face. "I devour you, I control you! I have but one Jedi before young Poggle bring me. But NOW I have four..."

Poggle orders an undead bug to bring him some sort of green egg, which holds a worm inside of it. The Queen continues speaking.

"Now watch, as my child enters your Jedi friend. And once inside, her mind becomes my mind," the Queen says, continuing her annoyingly disturbing monologue. Poggle holds up a worm to Luminara, and all four of us can't help but shrink away from it in disgust.

"Her thoughts, MY thoughts!" The Queen proclaims.

"It's a sort of mind control, a hive mind. She thinks she can possess us," Master Kenobi says in... did I hear him speak in FASCINATION?!"

"Great, find out everything you wanted to know yet?" Anakin asks in annoyance.

"No wait, I want to see how it works," he replies, and I could only gape at him.

"I don't think Luminara wants to see how it works!" Anakin says harshly.

"No, I don't!" Luminara says, her eyes wide at the sight of the worm.

"Master, you're not really considering this kind of crap are you? Please tell me you aren't!" I plead with him.

"As a matter of fact I am. I'm curious the more we know the better," he states with interest.

Anakin shakes his head angrily at him while Luminara shrinks way from the worm, disgust and fear evident on her face.

"I disagree!" she exclaims.

"So do I," Anakin says. Of course Obi-Wan seems to be ignoring us.

"Come now the nose or the ear, which do you think it'll enter?" he asks us, very little concern in his voice.

Poggle puts the worm on Luminara's head, and Anakin sighs. "I think the nose."

"How about the hilt of my lightsaber?" I offer up the suggestion.

The worm slithers around her head as Luminara groans. "I hope this is part of the plan!"

"Isn't it always?" Master Kenobi asks. "Cody now!"

The clones all rush out and activate their headlamps, blinding the Queen and all of the zombies on the ground. All three of us Force pull our lightsabers away from the bugs, and I get Master Unduli's saber in my other hand, which I use to cut an approaching zombie apart. Master Kenobi pulls the worm from Luminara's head into his hand. I rush up and slice the binders holding Luminara up before give back her lightsaber, which she points at Poggle. Anakin pulls out a pair of cuffs and forces them on Poggle's hands.

"You're coming with us Poggle!" he says.

Getting used to the light, the rest of the bugs start to charge, prompting the clones to fire at them. Me, Obi-Wan and Anakin all slice the bugs into pieces while Luminara handles Poggle.

"Obi-Wan! Look out!" Anakin exclaims, taking the warm from his hand.

"Wha- Anakin no!" Master Kenobi protests.

Anakin throws the worm on the ground and stomps on it while I quickly slice it in half for good measure.

"What are you two doing? I was going to study that!" Master Kenobi angrily asks us.

"Study the bottom of my boot, now come on let's get out of here!" Anakin yells, and I follow him quickly.

"What would we study it for? Droids Master?!" I yell back. We rush towards the exit while the clones continue firing.

"Here they come!" Cody yells. "Take out the supports!"

The clones all shoot at the pillars holding the ceiling up, and rocks begin to fall on top of the bugs, squashing them flat. The Queen yells as a few boulders fly in her direction. We all sprint towards the exit, as well as Poggle, who decides to go with captivity then death.

Cody moves us forward, then starts to shoot at approaching bugs. I stay with him as one launches itself at Cody. luckily he dodges and pins it down under his foot.

"They're still coming!" Cody yells. I slice apart the bug he has trapped and then force push three of them back into the rocks, giving us time to move away to the opening.

"There's our way out!" I hear Luminara yell. We come across a large hole in the ceiling as well as a ray of sunshine, which I couldn't be happier to see.

Cody continues to fire at the bugs while I cut up any that get to close. Soon enough we're the last ones who haven't started climbing.

"I got your back Cody, go!" I exclaim.

Cody throws his blaster at one of the bugs, causing it to fall back and jumps up to begin climbing. I cut one more of them and immediately jump up, barely missing one of the bugs that tries to grab me.

We continue to climb upwards, with rocks falling all around us. The bugs are quickly beginning to follow, but fortunately for us they are sent plummeting back to the bottom by the rocks that hit them hard. We suddenly hear a loud slam and a huge column of dust and air blows us all out of the hole, where we all fall on the surface.

The temple continues to fall apart and we quickly run out of the building just as it collapses, blowing dust everywhere. We look back at the temple's destruction and sigh in relief.

"All things considered," Anakin coughs. "That went better then I expected."

"I wish we could've gotten one of those worms," Obi-Wan says sadly. "Knowing how the Queen controls her minions could've proven valuable."

"For what? Controlling droids? No way Master," I disagree, shaking my head.

"Well, hopefully the secret is buried with her." Anakin says.

We all continue to stare at the Temple, relieved that the nightmare of Geonosis is finally over. I hate this planet!


	4. Chapter 3 - Brain Invaders

_**Progate Temple - Geonosis**_

 **Jarik POV...**

After we called a few ships down to the Temple, Poggle was brought aboard a shuttle by two clones while Ahsoka and a fellow Padawan named Barriss Offee exited. Ahsoka waved to me, and I waved back.

"So? How was your first successful mission Jarik?" Ahsoka asked me.

"Horrifying," I deadpan. "I'm never entering a Geonosian tunnel again."

Ahsoka laughs and lightly hits my shoulder. Master Mundi then exits the shuttle after Poggle was brought on board. Master Mundi looked a little grim.

"I'm afraid we have a complication," he says.

"Don't we always?" Anakin asks with a grin.

"I've just received a distress signal from our forces on Dantooine. Master Windu's defenses held, but at a great cost to his men. They need medical supplies immediately. We can obtain these supplies at the medical station near Ord Cestus," Master Mundi informs us.

Anakin frowns. "We're delivering Poggle to Coruscant, and Cestus is not exactly on the way."

"The Republic must begin debriefing Poggle right away if we're to get useful intelligence from him." Master Unduli says.

"Master, I suggest we let our Padawans handle the supply mission." Anakin says.

He holds all three of us together and I smile innocently. Ahsoka shakes her head with a grin.

"Whatever needs to be done, Master. I'm happy to help," Ahsoka says.

"As am I," Barriss adds respectfully.

"Anything is better than this dustball," I decide.

Master Kenobi sighs in agreement. "Very well. Take a medical frigate. And after we've delivered Poggle to Coruscant, we'll rendezvous with you for the voyage to Dantooine."

With the plan set, the three of us left the Jedi Masters to themselves. We picked up our own backpacks and entered the medical frigate, a squad of clones following after us. As we entered the ship however I stopped and glanced back in confusion. The Temple seemed clear and the clones were all good...

"You alright Jarik?" Ahsoka asks me.

I blink and look at her. "Yeah I'm fine. Thought I felt something was weird," I shrug in response.

I don't notice one of the clones narrow his eyes at me.

* * *

The three of us stand in the bridge, giving our report to Master Fisto at the medical station.

"We are ready to make the jump Master Fisto," Barriss says.

 _"Good. I look forward to your arrival,"_ Master Fisto says before the transmission ends. I look at Barriss and Ahsoka.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm so exhausted from the last couple of days that I could fall on my face, like right now," I say. Ahsoka rolls her eyes.

"Oh stop being so dramatic Jarik," she says, giving me a light punch on the shoulder. "Although I do agree on getting some rest."

We exit the bridge and head through the frigate to our quarters. There are only two bunks so I allow Barriss and Ahsoka to sleep there, while I take the floor. Ahsoka offers me her bed, knowing that I was tired from my first mission, but I decline. I'm so tired that I could pass out on the floor anyways.

* * *

 _ **Medical Frigate - Hyperspace**_

A few hours later I'm still fast asleep. The moment I laid down on my pillow I drifted off into a deep slumber. It wasn't the most comfortable of places to sleep but I was too tired to really care much. Soon enough however I hear voices above me, a familiar one calling my name.

I groan in annoyance and wave my hand at them to go away, covering my face with my arm. Moments later I'm wide awake in sudden pain.

"Aawwhhhh!" I groan in pain and irritation.

I hear Ahsoka laughing as well as Barriss' barely concealed giggles of amusement. It seems Ahsoka stepped on my abdomen to wake me up. Oh how I missed our playful banter, even though it hurts.

"Wha- why would you do that?" I ask her.

"Because I wanted to. Me and Barriss are going to get something to eat. Wanna come?" Ahsoka cheerily asks me. I glare at her.

"I don't have a choice do I?"

"Nope!" she responds with a smile.

I sigh in exasperation but get up anyways, following the two girls to the Mess Hall. We engage in some simple conversation, and I use this as a way to take the time to get to know Barriss a little better. However as we pass one of the hallways, my mind starts to feel a little itchy from the force, but I brush it off as nothing.

* * *

After reaching the Mess Hall, we each grabbed a small plate of food and sat down at a table. I sat on Ahsoka's left while Barriss sat opposite to us. Currently we were discussing what it meant to keep the peace and all that.

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier about enjoying the peace while it lasts. As a Jedi, I'm not sure I know how to do that," Ahsoka remarks.

"Master Windu has said we are keepers of the peace, not warriors. However, once the war is over, it will be our job to maintain the peace," Barriss tells her.

"Yes, but will we do so as keepers of the peace or warriors? And what's the difference?" Ahsoka asks in confusion.

"I don't have all the answers, Ahsoka. Like you, I'm a learner. What does your Master tell you?" Barriss asks her.

"Anakin? Oh, um, you might find some of his thoughts on the future, uh, a bit radical," Ahsoka admits sheepishly.

I shake my head. "I've only been on one mission with him and that could be an understatement."

"Well Master Kenobi seems the same way too if you think about it," Ahsoka tells me.

"Really?" Barriss asks us. "Why?"

"Let's just say that my Master will always do what needs to be done. I'm not even sure how peacetime will agree with him," she says.

"And what about you Jarik?" Barriss asks me. "What does Master Kenobi tell you? It must be an honor to train under a Jedi Master from the High Council."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what he thinks yet entirely, this being my first mission as a Padawan. Alhough he does have the name of the Negotiator for a reason," I admit.

"Usually I didn't really know what the High Council really does besides meditate. But sometimes Master Kenobi can seem insane!" I say, remembering how he tried to talk to the Queen bug.

"How so?" Barriss asks.

"He tried talking to some huge, weird, bug queen to see how these worms she makes work," I tell them, shivering at the reminder of those undead zombies.

Ahsoka starts to snicker. "Yep, that's Master Kenobi."

Before we could continue our discussion the door opened and two of the clones stood in the doorway.

"Evening, Ox, Edge. Would you like to join us?" Ahsoka asks.

However they don't respond, just standing there with glares directed at us. Something isn't right...

"Errmm, are you alright troopers?" I ask.

Without a word the clones stepped forward and I widened my eyes at the warnings the Force was sending at me. Immediately I jump up, activating my lightsaber as the clones started firing at us, Ahsoka and Barriss following suit. We deflect the shots away from us, and Ahsoka jumps onto the table, pushing down on it to give us some cover. Barriss flips over to join us and I use the force to throw my bland ration meals at the clones, who cover their heads with their arms. A moment later they begin shooting, but I had already taken cover behind the table.

"Troopers, stand down!" Ahsoka orders.

The clones however didn't care, and continued to attack us as they approached the table. Barriss jumped out to deflect the shots, which then allowed me to slice their guns to pieces, which then allowed Ahsoka to force push the clones against the wall. We approached the clones cautiously before the door reopened and two more came up behind us aiming their weapons. We quickly aimed our lightsabers at them before they could fire, and they held their arms up immediately.

"What are you doing?" Trap exclaims as he put his hands in the air along with Havoc.

"Two clones just attacked us. What is going on?" Ahsoka demands.

"Trap, do you know what happened to those troopers?" Barriss asks.

"Couldn't tell you, Commander. I'm just as confused as—" Trap tries to say, but is cut off.

"You're in charge of those men. Did you order them to kill us?" Barriss questions fiercely.

"No, sir! I did not!" he replies, seeming almost horrified at the idea.

"Well if you didn't then who the heck did?" I ask them.

"We don't know sir!" Havoc says placatingly. "We heard shots!" he tries to explain. I narrow my eyes at them.

Barriss eyes them suspiciously. "Why should we believe you?"

"Look, no guns," Trap says as he and Havoc dropped their guns onto the ground. Me, Barriss and Ahsoka all look at each other before finally deactivating our lightsabers. The clones then lower their hands in relief.

"These men wouldn't just attack us without reason." Barriss says in confusion.

"My master had a clone betray them once. A traitor who was paid off by Ventress." Ahsoka says, thinking of that as a possibility. I frown.

"I don't think so. What reason would the Separatists have to gain over a simple medical frigate? And how would they know about t anyways?" I question.

"Excuse me sir," Trap says. "We should make sure we're still in control of the bridge."

"Bridge, this is Barriss. Respond," Barriss attempts to make contact with the bridge but had no success.

"We need to get up there. We need to find out what's going on," Ahsoka says. I look at the two unconscious clones.

"What about these two? I doubt they'll be happy when they wake up," I say, gesturing towards them.

"Havoc can watch them until we check on the bridge," Trap says. We all nod.

"Okay, let's go," Ahsoka says.

We exit the Mess Hall for the bridge while Havoc picks up his rifle, watching over the two clones. However something still doesn't feel right...

* * *

On our way to the bridge, we discovered that the pathway leading to it was blocked by Ray Shields. I frown in annoyance.

"Well that's convenient," I mutter.

"Someone doesn't want us going up there," Ahsoka says in frustration.

I kneel down next to the door panel. "Well, I'll see if I can shut this thing off."

I begin pressing a few buttons, ready to work my magic when I hear the sound of a blaster cocking up, ready to fire. Before I could move, Barriss comes to my rescue, pullling out her lightsaber to deflect the shots, then sliced it apart. Seeing his gun was lost Trap growled and launched himself at Barriss, knocking her lightsaber away. However when Trap opened his mouth my eyes widened at the sight of what was in there.

"He's infected!" Barriss shouts.

She managed to regain her lightsaber and stabbed Trap through the chest. However the worm jumped out of his mouth and onto Barriss.

"Get this thing off me!" she exclaims.

Ahsoka used the force to pull it through the air where she sliced it in half. The worm wriggled around on the ground as it died, and Ahsoka and I shivered.

"Ughh! What is that?" she exclaims in disgust.

"Some sort of parasite?" Barriss theorizes. I shake my head.

"It's one of the Queen's worms. We encountered them while we captured Poggle," I manage to say, still frightened by the memory. "Those things brought the bugs back to life and they were planning to use it on Master Unduli before we arrived."

Their eyes widened as I stomped my foot.

"Aahh! Those things are so gross! We're light-years from Geonosis and that bugs nest is still after us!" I exclaim.

"Well that explains a lot then. Ugh!" Ahsoka says in disgust.

"They must have infected the clones while we were still on Geonosis," Barriss theorizes.

I groan in annoyance. "Oh man. Now I regret slicing the worm that Master Kenobi wanted to study!"

Ahsoka stares at me in disbelief.

"Master Kenobi wanted to study that?!" she says, pointing at the now dead worm. I nod my head, a little pale. Ahsoka looks a little put off by Obi-Wan's idea.

"We'll have to quarantine the ship then," Barriss states.

"We should also contact Master Fisto and tell him the problem," Ahsoka says.

"Well, then let's go bug hunting." I finally say.

* * *

After running down the halls, we suddenly heard a sound that made my spine shiver.

"That sound, it's..." Barriss began to say.

"Geonosian," Ahsoka says.

"Really? Now the worms are making them speak it to? Can human's physically even make their sounds?!" I whisper harshly, freaking out a little as we approach the door.

"Quiet!" Ahsoka tells me. "Stop freaking out!"

"Well forgive me if my first mission as a Padawan is a complete horror show!" I whisper back.

Why is Geonosis such a messed up place?! Is there even any other form of life on that planet besides the bugs themselves?

Watching from the door, we see that all of the clones on the ship besides one have already been infected, and they were now infecting the only remaining trooper. Two of the Worms held down the clone while the last approached with an egg.

"We have to help him!" Ahsoka says, however right then the worm leaped out of the egg.

"It's too late." Barriss says gravely.

The worm leaped into the clone's nose, and I couldn't help but shiver again for what seemed to be the millionth time that day as the clone started convulsing. While we were distracted, another Worm ran up behind us and started shooting, forcing us into the cargo hold. We deflected the shots away from us and Ahsoka slammed to door in its face. However the little incident didn't go unnoticed, as we turned around to find the Worms all staring at us. Havoc began to approach with three eggs, which was when I lost it.

"Ok that's it!" I tell Barriss and Ahsoka. "Hey! Stupid worms! I helped kill your Queen, so take this!"

I force pulled the eggs out of Havoc's hands and spun around, slicing through all three of them evenly. The Worms screamed in rage and they all began shooting, the other one behind the door opening it and shoot at us as well. We started blocking shots as best as we could.

"Thanks a lot Jarik!" Ahsoka exclaims to me angrily.

"Hey, I refuse to bow before some tiny parasite!" I retort. "That Queen was ugly!"

Barriss pulled down a crate, blocking most of the clone's view while Ahsoka deflected a shot back at the Worm in the doorway, injuring him.

I sliced through one of their weapons before shoving him away with the Force, and we all grouped together. Ahsoka looked around and pointed upwards.

"There! Let's head for the vent!"

We deactivated our lightsabers, jumping up the pile of cargo to the upper levels as the Worms continued to shoot at us. Barriss pulled the vent open, and we leaped into the safety of it crawling around. As we headed through the vents, we kept quiet as clones ran through the corridors, obviously searching for us. Being the most senior Padawan, Barriss took charge.

"Jarik, head to the aft-com center and send a warning to Master Fisto. You know about these worms better than us, and you have more skill in slicing the communications channel if you have to. Ahsoka and I will disable the ships thrusters," she says.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Barriss? Last time we split up in the catacombs the other group ended up dead almost instantly," I warn her.

"I'm not to sure about this idea either Barriss." Ahsoka says worriedly.

"It's a risk we'll have to take. If we get captured and we're all together, then there's no way for anybody to know what's going on, and the medical station will be taken over," Barriss tells us.

"I still don't like it," I mutter.

"Unfortunately she has a point Jarik. One of us has to get to something somehow," Ahsoka says. I sigh in defeat.

"Alright. Just promise me you'll be alright," I tell her.

"Hey, it's me. We'll be fine Jarik," she says with a grin.

I nod and we head off in our separate directions. I can't help but have a bad feeling about this plan...

* * *

Eventually I reach the aft-com center, and I peek through the vent opening to see one clone standing guard at the controls. I frown and reach out with the force, studying his signature intently. After a moment I feel his signature and realize that he's possessed.

"Alright then," I mutter.

Taking a deep breathe, I kick the vent open and drop down as fast as I can. The Worm turns to me angrily but I flip around his shot.

"Lights out bug!"

With these words, and hold my lightsaber hilt in my hand a swing it as hard as possible at the clone's head. Luckily for me the worms are too stupid to keep their helmets on, so I knock him out easily. After making sure the clone is unconscious, I move him to the side, not wanting to kill him because I know he isn't in control.

Sitting at the chair, I quickly bypass the lock on the comm lines and open a channel to the medical station. Thankfully I'm greeted immediately by Master Fisto himself.

 _"Padawan Shan, it's good to see you. We haven't heard from you or the pilots in some time. Are you alright?"_

I shake my head.

"No Master," I tell him. "Geonosian worms have infected all of the clones in the ship and have taken control. We don't dare docking with the medical station without knowing how many worms are still loose."

Master Fisto takes in the situation with narrowed eyes as he replies to me. _"You must bring the ship in. The only way we can stop these parasites is to analyze them."_

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea Master. These worms can possess a person the moment they enter their bodies. They can even bring the dead back to life!" I exclaim.

 _"We will take precautions,"_ Master Fisto reassures me. I sigh.

"I have a bad feeling about this Master Fisto, but I will follow your instruction." I finally say in agreement.

 _"Don't worry Padawan. Just make sure the three of you stay of sight from the infected troops until we can board the ship."_

With that being said, the transmission gets disconnected and I decide to contact Master Kenobi's cruiser. After a few moments an image of Captain Rex appears on screen.

 _"Cargo ship TB-73 this is clone Captain Rex. PLease respond,"_ he says.

"Captain Rex! I'm glad to hear from you. Is Master Kenobi or Master Skywalker there by any chance?" I ask him anxiously. Rex nods.

 _"Yes sir. I've got General Skywalker on the line here for you."_

Rex moves out of the way to reveal Anakin standing there, a worried look on his face.

 _"Jarik! What's going on over there? Where's Ahsoka?"_ he asks me.

"It's complicated Master. The short version is that those mind control worms infected all of the clones on board the ship. Ahsoka and Barriss are headed towards the ships thrusters to disable them." I tell him.

 _"What?"_ Anakin asks, stunned. _"Ae you sure it was those worms?"_

"The clones are speaking Geonosian and tried to kill us so we're pretty sure!" I exclaim.

 _"Alright. Well make sure you keep your wrist com on, I'm going to interrogate Poggle. He might have some answers. Find Ahsoka and Barriss and wait for my signal."_

I nod in agreement. "Ok Master."

The transmission is cut and I hold my head in my hands before feeling something in the force. I look over to see Barriss standing behind the glass map screen. Not creepy at all.

"Barriss! You're back... where's Ahsoka?" I ask in confusion.

She continues to stare emotionlessly at me and my eyes widen in realization. "Son of a-"

My voice is cut off as Barriss uses the force to break the glass and launch the pieces at me. Luckily I create a force barrier to keep from getting cut apart and look up.

"Barriss! Come on Barriss, I know you're in there!" I yell, trying to get her attention.

It works... in the wrong way.

Barriss pulls out her lightsaber with eyes narrowed in a glare and jumps at me. Pulling out my open saber, I dodge out of the way. She then turns and swings at me, prompting me to get into a blade lock. I push against her for a moment before exchanging a few blows which I easily block.

"Barriss! Come on, don't let those worms take away your soul!" I shout. She only smirks evilly in response.

Seeing that talking to her wasn't going to solve anything, I kick her away and run out the door, only to run right into Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka! Come on we've got-"

I'm cut off again by Ahsoka swinging her own lightsaber at me. I just barely roll underneath and pop up to see she has the same glare as the worm-infected Barriss.

"Oh come on!" I exclaim.

Ahsoka starts attacking me, and I block her swings. Barriss runs out of the room and joins her, and they both attack me in attempts to cut me down. However these worms obviously have no idea how to use a lightsaber, and it's almost laughable ho easy it is for me to block their attacks. I dodge, parry, block, and dodge again in a continuous cycle, as Ahsoka and Barriss force me back down the corridor.

However they leave an opening which I exploit, and I take the opportunity to jump and deliver a roundhouse kick to Barriss, and then Force push Ahsoka into a wall. I start running immediately, trying to create as much distance as possible not out of the fear of getting beaten, but because I don't want to attack my best friends.

As I run down a corridor however, I suddenly have trouble running and get thrown into the wall. I groan and look up to see Ahsoka jump at me, blade out. She scowls angrily and I glare back, angry at this worm who thinks it can take my best friend away from me.

"Ahsoka please! I know you're in there somewhere!"

With a grunt, I shove her blade back and get up, slowly moving down the corridor. Ahsoka follows, swiping at me with her Reverse Shien grip. How dare that worm try to imitate Ahsoka! It can't even do it properly!

"Hey Worm! Get out of her head and I might not cut your slimy self in half!" I exclaim angrily.

Ahsoka lets out a Geonosian scream and I cringe away in response.

"Oh that is so not right!"

Getting a hold of myself, I use my lightsaber to swing hers out of control and then kick her to the ground. As she hits the ground, lightsaber flung from her hand due to my move, I run around the corner and see an open vent, which I quickly jump into. I roll to an area that isn't visible from below and wait for Ahsoka and Barriss to pass under me. Once they do I sigh in relief before the emotion starts to filter in.

What am I going to do? I'm the only one left on the ship, and there's a possibility that Ahsoka could be... no, there's no way. While the worms have taken over their bodies I can feel that she, Barriss and the clones are still alive. I sit there and hold my legs to my chest, feeling very vulnerable.

* * *

After a while my comlink starts to go off and I quickly answer it.

"Master Skywalker, are you there?" I ask.

 _"Jarik, listen to me. The worms are affected by the cold!"_ he says urgently.

"The cold? That's how we stop them?" I ask, surprised at how easy it sounds.

 _"Rupture the coolant system-"_ I have to block the comlink when I notice a clone walk underneath me. He stares at the vents for a moment before walking off. I sigh in relief.

 _"-you hear me? Rupture the coolant system!"_ Anakin says,

"Coolant system, got it Master." I tell him, closing off the communications. I open the vent and look down, my Padawan braid falling in my face for a moment before determining the coast is clear. I quickly head in the direction of the coolant system.

Thankfully it wasn't to far away, and upon reaching it I start pressing the necessary buttons required to make the ship into a ripoff of the Hoth system. Once the settings are in place, I pull the lever. Cold air immediately begins to filter throughout the vents, the lights turning bluish. I'm just glad I'm wearing Padawan robes, otherwise I'd start to freeze pretty quick.

Once I exit the room, I run through the halls in the direction of the bridge as quickly as possible. I stop for a moment and rub my hands together to keep them warm when a creepy voice suddenly talks to me.

"There you are. You can't run from us," Barriss says, activating her lightsaber behind me. I see Ahsoka in front of me, although she is shivering slightly.

I manage a grin. "Oh really? Well you're about to freeze to death, which is a lot worse than getting cut in half."

The two charge at me, but I jump into the vents before they could reach me, knowing they wouldn't dare enter the coldest parts of the ship.

* * *

I lift up a vent, arms shivering heavily from the cold and look around.

"Finally... the bridge!" I mutter, getting up and running to the door. I open it and sit down in the pilots seat, opening the communications channel.

"This is Padawan Jarik Shan, please come in. I'm shutting down the engines- ahh!"

I leap out of the chair as a blue lightsaber slams down where I just was a moment ago, destroying the controls. I activate my lightsaber and notice Ahsoka and Barriss both glaring at me.

The two of them raise their blades to attack with a downwards strike and I block both at the same time. I kick Ahsoka back and then cut one of the pipes, pointing it at Barriss to allow the freezing cold air to blow directly on her face. She screams in both her voice and Geonosian, falling unconscious as the worm falls out of her mouth dead. Ahsoka looks at me from the floor.

"Kill us... please!" she tells me.

My eyes harden. "I would never kill you Ahsoka. Never!"

I turn to look out the bridge at the medical station which is quickly approaching. The force sends me a warning and I turn around to see Ahsoka leap at me, grabbing me in a choke hold. She opens her mouth and the worm reaches towards me, trying to land on my head. I lean back as far as I can and manage to kick Ahsoka back to the ground. I reactivate my lightsaber as Ahsoka grabs her head and screams in pain, from the worm or herself I don't know.

What I do know is that I have a perfect view of the creature that took my friend from me. With my eyes narrowed angrily, I tell it one last thing.

"Guess you get to be cut in half worm!"

My blade falls.

* * *

Later, I'm holding Ahsoka up against my chest in the hopes of keeping her warm, seeing as how her outfit is not suited for cold weather at all. Barriss is propped up against me while I hold Ahsoka in my arms, barely remaining conscious.

The door opens and I weakly look up to see Master Fisto leaning down to talk to me.

"Hey Master Fisto... We got you the supplies!" I manage a weak grin.

"We'll take care of that. You rest now Jarik," Master Fisto says.

I then fall unconscious from the cold.

* * *

I slowly open my eyes with a groan. Then I suddenly remember what happen and sit up with a frightened gasp. Someone's hand is on my shoulder and I see Master Kenobi sitting next to me, as well as Master Skywalker.

"Easy there Jarik, you're alright," Obi-Wan tells me. He slowly pushes me back down onto the bed.

"What about Ahsoka? Is she alright? And Barriss?" I ask worriedly.

"They're alright Jarik. And the clones, thanks to your efforts," Master Skywalker says to me gratefully. I look over to see Ahsoka and Barriss recovering in two other beds next to me. I sigh in relief.

"Were those really the same pieces of slime Master?" I ask. Obi-Wan grins at my description and Anakin chuckles lightly.

"I think I can answer that," Master Fisto says. "We analyzed the Parasite. They are the same type of creature you found on Geonosis." He tells us with a charming smile.

"We'll have to inform the troops on Geonosis. This parasite might explain how they recaptured Geonosis the first time," Master Skywalker says.

Master Kenobi nods. "Indeed. I don't fancy the idea of returning anytime soon."

"You have been through quite an ordeal young one." Master Fisto tells me gently. I smile in agreement.

"Master Kenobi? May I have a word?" I ask him.

"Certainly," he says. Master Fisto and Master Skywalker both exit the room to give us some time alone.

"I have to admit.. this wasn't exactly the best start to my Padawan career," I tell him.

He nods in agreement. "Geonosis is definitely one of the more disturbing planets we'll ever have to visit Jarik."

"Master, on the ship... Ahsoka and Barriss were both infected as well. For a while I, didn't know what to do... I was lost and scared..." I mutter, feeling my voice breaking a little bit as the emotions start to surface.

"War is never easy Jarik, even for the most battle-hardened veterens," Master Kenobi tells me. "But you pushed through it. Without me in the first attack, during the catacombs, and by yourself again on the ship. You are a capable young Padawan Jarik."

I smile proudly at the praise.

"One more thing," I tell him. He listens intently. "I regret killing the worm you wanted to study."

Master Kenobi laughs at my remark, and I'm just glad that the nightmare of Geonosis is now finally, truly over. If I can get through this, then I can only hope I'm ready for anything, although I still have much to learn.


	5. Chapter 4 - Bounty Hunters

_**Jedi Temple - Coruscant**_

 **Jarik POV...**

After the Geonosis Invasion, me, Master Kenobi, Ahsoka and Master Skywalker were given two weeks off before we were to be given our next assignment. During our break at the Temple, Master Kenobi took the chance to start giving me lessons on the Force and blaster deflection. We were currently in the Training Room, where a pair of droid remotes were floating around me. My sapphire colored blade was out in front of me while I used the force to sense the droids movements. Master Kenobi had tied a blindfold around my eyes so that I could only use the force. He was beginning with the basics of Form III, the more defensive of the lightsaber forms.

"A Jedi can feel the force flowing through them," Master Kenobi tells me somewhere from my left. "Allow it to guide you through the motions."

I take a basic Form III stance and hold my lightsaber by my side. All of a sudden, the two droids went on the attack. One fired at my back while the other fired at my right. I positioned myself so that the droid on my right missed and I stopped the bold behind my by twisting my arm around to catch it. The droids quickly flew around me, letting off blaster fire and I spun around, my lightsaber flowing in the motions that Master Kenobi showed me.

A few seconds later the droids stop and I lift my blindfold.

"Well done Jarik. You're a natural with a lightsaber." Master Kenobi says with a smile.

"Thank you Master. I've always enjoyed lightsaber combat when I was younger." I tell him.

"Well, let's hope we can also improve on your Force abilities as well. From what I've seen that could use some work." Master Kenobi tells me. I nod my head. "Yeah, in terms of force power Ahsoka was at the top of our class, while I was behind her, being more of a duelist. So I'm not as gifted in that way."

Master Kenobi nods in agreement. "Hopefully we can change that."

Obi-Wan's comlink suddenly goes off, and he activates it. "Master Kenobi speaking."

The voice of Master Windu answers him. _"Obi-Wan, the Council has requested your presence in the debriefing room. We have a new assignment for you."_

Master Kenobi nods. "Very well. We'll be there shortly."

He closes the transmission and heads out of the room, gesturing for me to follow.

"Come along then Jarik. Wouldn't want to miss out on your second mission," he tells me.

* * *

 _ **Felucia - Outer Rim Territories**_

Once we had reached the briefing room, the Council assigned us to investigate the medical station orbiting Felucia, with Master Skywalker and Ahsoka, seeing as how we had lost contact with it. We set out shortly after that, taking a standard Jedi Shuttle to investigate the problem. We came out of hyperspace above Felucia and started scanning the area.

"That's Felucia. Dead ahead," Anakin says, steering the ship towards the planet.

Me and Ahsoka look around.

"But where's the medical station? I don't see anything on my scanners," she asks in confusion.

I check the monitor and spot an object coming up on the radar. "There's something up ahead of us."

In the distance, we saw a small station floating through space, before it suddenly opened up to reveal Vulture droids. They activated themselves and flew straight at us in attack position.

"Vulture droids," Ahsoka scowls.

"Not the welcoming committee we're looking for," I remark.

Anakin starts to sharply steer the ship away from the droids.

"Hang on," he says as he attempted to evade the vulture droids firing at us. Red laser bolts flew across the cockpit window.

"I guess we know what happened to the medical station." Master Kenobi remarks.

"Yeah. And it might happen to us to if you don't fly faster!" I tell Anakin.

"Hey, do you want to fly?" Anakin retorts.

At that moment one of the droids manages to hit the engines, shaking our ship heavily. Alarms start to blare.

"That's not good!" Master Kenobi exclaims.

"You think Master?!" I exclaim while Anakin manages to guide us through the atmosphere.

"They hit the plasma conduit!" Ahsoka tells us.

Anakin flies the ship through the clouds and starts to head for a large mountain, the Vulture droids pursuing quickly, still firing all they have.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Anakin says as he heads straight for the mountain in a suicide run.

"Almost certainly not." Master Kenobi disagrees.

"We're doing this the hard way. Starting ejection sequence." Master Skywalker tells us. We all pull out our oxygen masks while Anakin continues to fly the ship in the direction of the mountain.

"How come every time you fly, we crash?" Ahsoka exclaims angrily.

"Next time Master, I vote for someone else to fly!" I say.

Anakin glares at us in annoyance. "It's not my fault. It's the ship!"

"Ready to eject." Ahsoka says.

We all grip our ejection handles and wait for the proper moment.

"Wait..." Anakin says. "Now!"

We all pull on the ejection levers and the cockpit opens up, the seats immediately ejecting from the ship and forming protective bubbles around us. I hear the ship crash into the mountain, as well as the sound of the droids crashing as well. Dumb droids.

I start to bounce harshly between the layers of trees, and I start to feel a little sick.

 _"You always, blame, the ship!"_ I manage to hear Ahsoka yell between bounces.

I groan from the weird movements and am glad when the bubble finally stops bouncing on the ground. It opens up and I take off my seatbelt, pulling off my mask while I jump out, coughing slightly. Around me, everyone else comes out of their bubbles as well.

"You alright there Master?" Anakin asks.

"I'm fine Anakin." Master Kenobi says, a little annoyed.

"I hate crashing ships. Let's not try that again." I say.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan nod in agreement while Anakin shrugs.

"I thought it was fun," he says. We all glare at him while I move closer to Ahsoka.

"How many times has he crashed?" I ask her.

She shrugs, not a good sign. "Too many to count."

I sigh in disbelief.

"Where on Felucia do you think we are?" Ahsoka asks, looking around.

"I'm not sure." Master Kenobi says.

"Oh great. We've been here for two minutes and we're already stranded." I say in annoyance.

Suddenly a few roars and stomping feet could be heard.

"I don't like the sound of that." Ahsoka said in response to that.

"And I don't like the look of that." Anakin says, pointing towards the forest.

We look over to see two massive rancors walking by us, letting out an occasional roar.

"We don't want to scare 'em." Anakin tells us.

"Well at least it's not a zombie." I say, trying to be optimistic. Anakin shivers in response.

"We can't just wander around. We need a plan." Master Kenobi says.

"You taught me to go on instinct. My instincts say to go that way." Anakin says, pointing to the left.

Master Kenobi puts a hand on his chin with a frown.

"That doesn't seem right. I think we should go this way," he says, pointing to the right.

Me and Ahsoka both look at each other, noticing the plume of smoke in the distance.

"Why do you ask for my opinion? You never do things my way." Anakin says, crossing his arms in irritation.

Ahsoka and I both watch in amusement as our Master's arguing with each other. It was hilarious, seeing as how they don't seem like they're going to notice the smoke anytime soon.

"We crashed the ship your way." Obi-Wan remarks sarcastically.

I struggle to keep myself from laughing. For someone on the Jedi High Council, Master Kenobi is an absolute savage!

"Very funny. I see your sense of humor survived the landing." Anakin says.

"It's about the only thing." Obi-Wan retorts.

"Do you want to do the honors Ahsoka?" I whisper to her while the two continue to argue.

She grins at me. "Go for it Jarik, I really want to see this."

With a smirk, I step forward and get their attention by clapping my hands together quickly. "Hey, bickering Senators. If you guys are done arguing like an old married couple then I would suggest that we follow the smoke coming from that direction, which means people. And a way off this rock."

Me and Ahsoka walk past the two of them while they gape at me in surprise. Me and Ahsoka start laughing with each other quietly while Obi-Wan just shrugs at Anakin before following.

* * *

 _ **Akira - Felucia**_

Eventually, after walking through the forest of multi-colored trees we come across a small village, the fields filled with reddish pink crops.

"Hey look, a village," Ahsoka says.

"Maybe they have a ship we can 'borrow,'" Anakin says as we approach the village entrance. I raise a brow at his wording.

"Borrow? You mean, not steal right Master?" I ask him. He shrugs in response.

"Hmm. They're growing healing herbs." Ahsoka observes.

"Sillum, I believe. One of the most valuable crops in the galaxy." Master Kenobi says. I nod in agreement.

"No doubt about that. Aren't these used to make bacta?" I ask him.

He nods in response. "It's a part of the ingredient needed for bacta, yes."

We look around, noting the lack of people.

"This place looks deserted." Ahsoka says with a frown.

"I don't believe it is. The crops are ready to be harvested. Tools are lying about. Something's amiss." Master Kenobi says.

"Could the Separatists have been involved?" I ask.

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "No I don't think so. There isn't any sign of battle here."

"Well, there's one thing I learned where I grew up. You want to know what a farmer is up to, look in their barn." Anakin says as he presses a button on the side.

The barn opens to reveal a strange green and yellow looking ship parked inside.

"This is an odd ship for farmers. Perhaps someone is here to pick up the sillum." Master Kenobi theorizes.

"I still don't get it. Where is everyone?" Ahsoka asks.

"On a vacation, or something?" I offer.

"We might as well go look for them or a trace of them. We will split up and see what we can find." Master Kenobi decides.

We all nodded in agreement and Anakin and Ahsoka went to one building while me and Master Kenobi went to another. We looked inside what seemed to be a simple home.

"From what I could tell, everything in here seems to have been used fairly recently." I observe, noting how the silverware is evenly laid out, and the shelves were still full of items, though some were half used.

"I agree. Yet for some reason the villagers seem to have disappeared." Master Kenobi says.

I suddenly sense the presence of other life forms nearby. From the looks of things Obi-Wan can feel them as well.

"Let's check it out Jarik." Master Kenobi tells me.

We exit the house we were in and head towards the house that Ahsoka and Anakin entered, where we see them being held at gunpoint by a group of what I believed to be bounty hunters.

"We don't count you, knee-high!" The droid-looking bounty hunter tells Ahsoka mockingly.

Me and Master Kenobi share a look with each other and then walk inside, activating our lightsabers in challenge.

"Do you count us?" Master Kenobi quips.

The robot activates a buzz saw while I point my lightsaber in the direction of the sniper. She narrows her eyes at me as Ahsoka activates hers as well.

"I'd think carefully Miss Credits," I warn the bounty hunter.

The situation begins to get tense and Anakin activates his lightsaber with a glare as well. We are all about to attack when a short farmer walks up the doorway.

"Stop! Don't harm them!" he exclaims. "Can't you see, these are Jedi?! We are saved!"

"Saved?" Ahsoka asks with a frown.

"Need I remind you, that you already made a deal with us?" the leader of the group tells the farmer.

"But with the Jedi's help-" he starts to say, but Ahsoka cuts in.

"Excuse me, but help from what?" Ahsoka asks him. The farmer lowers the sniper's gun and looks at her.

"Pirates." he says.

Oh. Wonderful.

* * *

After the farmer got everyone to calm down, he lead us towards a larger building, where we learned everyone's names and listened in to the problem. The farmer was called Cassis, and the bounty hunters were Sugi, Embo, Serapis and Rumi.

"Simply stated, if we don't give the pirates a portion of our crop, they will destroy our homes, with us in them." Cassis told us.

"Hmm. I see your dilemma." Master Kenobi says with a frown.

"Sillum farming is a meagre trade. Without our herbs to sell we will have no money for food, fuel or equipment." Cassis tells us.

Master Kenobi raises a brow and gestures to the bounty hunters. "And yet you can afford to pay mercenaries."

"These bounty hunters drive a more reasonable bargain than pirates." Cassis explains.

"Why not just fight them yourselves?" Anakin offers.

Cassis shakes his head. "Easy for you perhaps, but look at us. We are farmers, not warriors. Even with the bounty hunters' help, I had feared the worst. But now there are eight of you."

"What do you want, Jedi?" Sugi asks us suspiciously.

"We need a ship. Ours is beyond repair I'm afraid." Master Kenobi says. I cough into my hand.

"Blown up," I saw in between coughs. Anakin and Obi-Wall roll their eyes while Ahsoka shakes her head.

"The one in the barn. That'll do." Anakin says happily.

Sugi scoffs. "That's our ride. It doesn't go anywhere without us. And right now we are busy."

"Busy extorting farmers?" Master Kenobi argues.

"I don't hear you offering to help." Sugi retorts.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't help even if we wanted to." Master Kenobi says gravely.

I start to choke on my drink in surprise, just barely managing to swallow.

"What?!" Ahsoka exclaims in confusion.

"Come again?" I ask.

* * *

"Master, these farmers are in trouble. Why can't we help them?" Ahsoka asks in frustrated confusion. After Master Kenobi's statement we were all standing outside to discuss our current dilemma.

"Believe me Ahsoka, I would like nothing more." Master Kenobi tells her. "However, we need to report that a medical station has been destroyed. If we stay too long, the Separatists will show up here."

"But Master, there's no where else to go that is fairly close to us, and the bounty hunters are really our only option for leaving." I argue. "Besides, we don't exactly have the means to contact the Council from here anyways."

"I understand your concern, but we have to keep focused on the mission. We don't want the Separatists finding our location," he tells us.

"But.." Ahsoka starts to argue.

"Better they get robbed by pirates than attract the interest of General Grievous and his hold." Master Kenobi says sternly.

Just then, one of the farmer's children runs towards the homes as fast as she can.

"Pirates! Pirates, pirates. The pirates are back!" she shouts, scared.

Sugi and the other Bounty Hunters exit the building, as well as Cassis when they hear the commotion. In the distance I hear the sound of speeder bikes and look over to see a squad of pirates pulling up in front of us, all armed with blasters.

Sugi stands in front of them defiantly. "That's far enough. I speak for the people of this village. State your name and business."

"My name is my own business. And my business is taking what's ours!" One of the pirates yells angrily.

"There is nothing here that's yours. Unless you're here to buy it." Sugi tells them, holding a hand on her blaster.

I suddenly hear another voice laugh out, half amused and half mocking. "Buy it? Ha ha! Kenobi! Skywalker! I can't believe you came all this way to see me."

A pirate wearing a red trench coat with some sort of creature on his shoulders steps off his speeder bike and approaches us. He wears a hat and green goggles, with an amused grin on his face.

Anakin and Master Kenobi look at each other. "Hondo."

This catches my attention as I stare at them quizzically. Ahsoka does as well.

"You know each other?" Sugi asks us.

"Of course we do. Tell them how far back we go." Hondo says gleefully.

"Too far, I'm afraid." Master Kenobi says.

"Ha ha! And I thought we were friends." Hondo said as he walked towards Obi-Wan placing his hand on his shoulder. I stare at Master Kenobi, confused, shocked, and amazed all at the same time.

"You're, shall I quote, "friends," with pirates Master? I never thought I'd see the day." I remark.

"Yes! We definitely are little Jedi! And who are you exactly?" he asks, suddenly becoming confused. Me and Ahsoka share a look at the ridiculousness of the situation. She just shrugs.

"This is my Padawan, Jarik Shan." Master Kenobi says, sounding a little irritated. "And while we're on the subject, if you're truly interested in friendship might I suggest you stop threatening these farmers?"

He removes Hondo's hand from his shoulder, and the pirate walks away, gasping as if appalled.

"Threatening them?" he speaks as if the idea is horrifying to him. "Oh please tell me you have not been listening to this, bounty-hunting scum!"

"Oh the irony," I mutter to Ahsoka, who smirks.

"Scum?" Sugi asks him. "We're just here to help them protect what's theirs."

Hondo shakes his head.

"Oh come come, my dear. How much are they paying you?" he asks rhetorically. "Bah, what does it matter? Whatever it is, I will double it! All you have to do to earn it is to..."

Hondo waves his hand dramatically in Sugi's face.

"...step aside."

"We don't break deals," Sugi said, poking his chest threateningly.

This action caused the pirates to aim their weapons at her, which the bounty hunters then responded by aiming theirs back. Master Kenobi holds his hands up to both sides.

"Steady everyone," he says.

Hondo turns to him once everyone lowers their weapons.

"What is your stake in this, Kenobi?" he asks.

"All we want is a ride to the nearest Republic Outpost, and I'm willing to pay you handsomely for it." Master Kenobi tells him. "Twice what you could make selling this crop."

Hondo looks down for a moment, considering.

"Well um, how do you plan to pay me?" he asks with a grin.

"A funds transfer when we arrive." Master Kenobi says.

Immediately, Hondo's face falls as he walks away.

"Republic credits?" he clicks his tongue in disappointment. "We've been over this before Kenobi. My associates don't accept that kind of currency."

Hondo waves his hand in a no-no kind of way, and I roll my eyes.

"I'm offering a deal that benefits us all Hondo. Don't let your greed blind you to that fact." Master Kenobi tells Hondo, who feeds his pet some kind of food.

"You know I like you Kenobi." Hondo says. "But, no one leaves this planet, until I get, my Sillum!"

"Well I hope you enjoy it here. Because you'll be staying a long time. Parasite!" Sugi tells Hondo angrily.

"You know this crop hasn't been harvested." Hondo says, walking up to Cassis. "You better hurry old man. Before things start to... die on you?"

Cassis stares at him with narrowed eyes, angry at the twisted and humorous, yet obvious threat, yet I can sense that he feels helpless against him. Hondo then leaves with the rest of the pirates while we all watch on with narrow eyes. Sugi gives Master Kenobi a look.

* * *

After the pirates left, Master Kenobi decided that we would help plan a defense against the incoming attack, and then find a way off-world. Currently we were all gathered in Cassis's home by the holo-table. A map of the farm was portrayed.

"When the attack comes it'll be from two fronts," Master Kenobi says. "The forest to the South, and the ridge to the North. Whatever you do, you must defend both sides."

One of the farmers, Dilanni I believe, speaks up.

"But there are only four of them. How can four bounty hunters defend against so many?!" he asks, doubtful of the plan.

Embo says something to Dilanni, which I don't understand. Master Skywalker walks up behind Master Kenobi.

"The farmers are right. These bounty hunters don't stand a chance," he tells him.

"We've been over this Anakin." Master Kenobi says.

"You seem to lack confidence in our abilities, young Jedi." Sugi says from her seat, staring at Anakin.

"I'm sure you're good at what you do. But you are in way too deep." Anakin says.

Sugi rolls her eyes. "Said the peacekeeper, who fails to keep the peace."

I slightly raise my hand. "Umm, in our defense the war isn't really our fault."

Master Kenobi nods along with my words. "If more worlds would stand up for themselves against the Separatists, this war would've been over long ago."

"That's it!" Anakin suddenly says, prompting us to look at him. "We'll just train the villagers to defend themselves."

"B-but, we are just simple farmers!" Dilanni protests. "Why are we paying bounty hunters to defend us, if we're just going to end up doing it ourselves?"

"Hush Dilanni." Cassis tells him gently.

Anakin smiles in confidence. "Trust me. We'll have you ready."

Me and Ahsoka share a look, unsure of how this is going to go.

* * *

The next day, we were all preparing the farmers and the surroundings for the inevitable raid that Hondo would conduct. Sugi and Master Kenobi would be in charge of getting the Sillum harvested and stored, along with thinking of new plans, while Master Skywalker was currently teaching the villagers how to defend themselves. Me and Ahsoka were further out in the forest with Serapis, who was cutting down a few trees to use for creating barrier traps. Me and Ahsoka were teaching the villagers how to use a slingshot.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was wondering whether or not I would get to be made a Padawan, and here I am suddenly being the teacher myself. Kind of weird.

As the villagers were practicing their shots, me and Ahsoka watched their progress.

"Who knew that'd we'd be teaching a class already?" I remarked. Ahsoka nodded.

"Especially you mister. You just became a Padawan two weeks ago!" she tells me with a grin. Hearing her say this, I gain a smug grin.

"Obviously I am the most talented Jedi in the Order," I playfully boast. She rolls her eyes and gives me a playful punch.

Ahsoka suddenly notices Serapis struggling to hold up one of the trees.

"Serapis! It's too heavy!" she exclaims, tackling him out of the way.

I run over and see Ahsoka stand up, looking at the Bounty Hunter worriedly.

"Serapis?" she asks.

The robot starts to make a few creaking sounds before the head pops off, to reveal a small little person inside. I blink in disbelief and look at Ahsoka, who has her hands on her hips with a disbelieving smile on her face.

Serapis looks up at us and immediately shrinks back.

"Umm, uhh, don't look! I'm having a suit malfunction!" he exclaims in a panic, looking around nervously before sighing, moving back to the controls and lifting the suit up off the ground. The suit gets into a sitting position and Serapis looks at us, almost ashamed.

"Not very intimidating am I?" he asks in a quiet voice. Ahsoka smiles and kneels down to his level.

"You don't have to look tough to be tough," she tells him.

"If it helps, the Grandmaster of our Order, Master Yoda is only two feet tall!" I tell him.

Serapis looks at his suit with a new determination in his eyes and he stands his suit up. The helmet and plating all close on him and he looks at us.

"I thank you for your help," he tells us, his robotic voice coming back on.

He walks away to cut more trees while we shake our heads with a smile and head back over to the farmers.

"If Master Yoda was here, he would have gone all out on him." I say with a smirk. Ahsoka giggles at the image.

* * *

About an hour later, me and Ahsoka were headed back to the village to give a status report when we noticed Anakin, Master Kenobi and Sugi running up the cliff.

"Master? What's going on?" I ask as we both run to catch up.

"Embo is chasing after a scout that was watching us!" Master Kenobi says.

By the time we get up there Embo had already killed the pirate. I grimace a little bit but don't comment. They're bounty hunters, so killing is a daily routine for them.

"Quick work." Anakin says. Embo nods in thanks.

"Yes, but when this scout fails to report to Hondo, he'll be coming." Master Kenobi says.

"So training is over then?" I ask.

* * *

While Master Kenobi and Anakin prepared the villagers for battle, Serapis, Ahsoka and I took a small group of farmers into the woods where we had laid our trap in the Southern entrance of the village. Soon enough, we start hearing blaster fire from the village and the sound of approaching speeder bikes. The farmers shuffle around nervously in fright.

"Steady everyone," I call out.

Three speeder bikes then charge through the forest in our direction, two pirates on each bike. They start firing, and me and Ahsoka ignite our lightsabers to block the shots while Serapis shoots his built-in laser cannon. We back up from the area in which the trap will fall and the farmers use their tractors to push the trees down. The pirates have no time to react before slamming into the trees, causing an explosion.

"Whew. That went better than expected." I say.

Ahsoka nods. "No kidding."

When then hear more shots being let off and turn around to see a pirate shoot at Serapis's armor. Serapis quickly jumps out of the suit and lands on the speeder back, taking his blaster and hitting him repeatedly in the head. The pirate tries to throw him off, but Serapis manages to grab onto the bike's handle and hit the brakes, causing the pirate to fly off the bike and into a tree, where he lays unconscious. We run up to him to see Serapis breathing heavily, but he holds the blaster up triumphantly. Me and Ahsoka smile at each other, before a large booming sound is heard in the direction of the village. I turn around quickly.

"Is that..?" I begin to ask. Ahsoka nods. "Looks like Hondo brought a tank. Come on, let's get back there."

We take off at a run, Serapis and the villagers following behind us as we head for the village. Numerous explosions begin to sound, and by the time we get back we see Master Skywalker jumping off a cliff. We run up to him and are joined by Sugi and Master Kenobi. A large saucer-like ship begins to rise while Hondo stands at the edge of a cliff.

"This, effort! Is no longer... profitable!" he exclaims, running in the ships direction. A moment later, they take off into space, leaving a small cloud of dust behind.

"Such a great guy." I remark.

Master Kenobi shakes his head. "Oh, you have no idea my young Padawan."

* * *

After the battle, the four of us and the bounty hunters, as well as the rest of the villagers gather together, where Cassis gives a speech. He's nearing the end of it right now.

"There are crops to harvest, fields to till, and huts to rebuild. Now let's get to work!" he finally says.

Everyone separates to do their jobs happily, talking excitably to each other about their new found confidence and ways of defending against the pirates. Cassis turns to us.

"How can I ever thank you for saving our village?" he asks us.

"We didn't save your village Cassis. Your people did." Anakin says with a smile.

"For the first time in my memory, my people don't have to be afraid. We will never forget this," he says, giving us a grateful bow before heading off to work.

"I seem to find myself light on company." Sugi says, brushing off her shoulder. "Still need that ride to the Republic Outpost?"

"If it wouldn't be of any inconvenience." Master Kenobi tells her with a grin.

"On the contrary, it would be my pleasure." Sugi says, gesturing to her ship.

"Great! No more killing each other. Big improvement." I comment. Ahsoka slugs me in the shoulder again.

"Want to kill each other back at the temple?" she asks me. I nod.

"Sure. I could use the practice."

We all enter the ship happily. While this side trip was unexpected, I rather enjoyed it, being able to help these farmers and learn a valuable but funny lesson. Master Yoda would probably put it as 'size matters not.'


	6. Chapter 5 - Grievous Intrigue

_**Jedi Temple - Coruscant**_

 **Jarik POV...**

Earlier that day I was summoned by the Council to the communications center, along with Master Kenobi, Anakin, Ahsoka and Barriss. Apparently the most esteemed General Grievous had contacted us for whatever reason, and once everyone was summoned, Master Windu started the message.

A hologram of General Grievous came up, and he was harshly holding Master Koth. We all widened our eyes slightly at the sight as Grievous began to speak.

 _"Greetings, Jedi. It would seem, once again, one of your order has lost his way and even better, a leading member of your Jedi Council,"_ Grievous says with sickening delight. _"Listen to me, Jedi, I do not care about your politics. I do not care about your Republic. I only live to see you die! But death will not come so easily for Master Koth. I will make him suffer endlessly because I know that is more painful for you all!"_

Grievous throws Master Koth harshly onto the ground. Behind him, a Magna guard droid appeared from the edge of the hologram and activated its electrostaff, jabbing it into Master Koth, who convulses in pain. The younglings all gasp and look away in fear, and Ahsoka holds two of them close, keeping them from watching. The High Council members all harden their eyes at the sight as the transmission soon ends.

"Away with the younglings. Much there is to discuss," Master Yoda says.

Me and Ahsoka help heard the younglings out of the room and follow them.

"Jarik, wait outside please," Master Kenobi says.

I nod my head and exit the room as the Padawans guide the younglings away.

I lean against the wall a few feet from the door and wait for Master Kenobi to come out. From what I've heard of around the Temple, General Grievous and Obi-Wan have a reputation with each other, which probably meant that I would soon have one as well.

Brilliant.

* * *

Soon enough Master Kenobi, Anakin, and Master Gallia walked out of the war room.

"So what's the story Master?" I ask. Master Gallia as Anakin head off to get the ships ready while Master Kenobi stays back with me.

"The story is that we are going to rescue Master Koth, Padawan." he says.

"Sooo... is it true that you have reputation with Grievous?" I ask him.

He nods. "Certainly. The good General and I have been in plenty of battles before."

I nod in understanding. "And does that mean I'll probably get on his... visitors list as well Master?" I ask him with a grin.

"Indeed. Normally I wouldn't bring you to face Grievous just yet, but I've decided that since you'll inevitably face him at some point I'm sure, it's best to get you familiar with him now," Master Kenobi tells me. "That, and you have already shown to be of exceptional skill with a lightsaber, according to what your class teachers have said."

I nod in agreement. "I certainly do Master. I hope this ends well."

"I certainly hope so as well Jarik."

* * *

The force we would be taking to the Saleucami System to rescue Master Koth was going to consist of three Venator cruisers and a few light-cruisers. Me and Master Kenobi would actually be traveling on one of the light-cruisers as bait while Anakin and Master Gallia were taking a small shuttle along with Captain Rex.

Oh, and this would be my first space battle.

Me, Master Kenobi and Cody were currently headed for the bridge, along with Boil and Waxer, where we would soon enter hyperspace to Master Koth's location.

"Ready to catch an angry droid Cody?" I ask. From what I know of Grievous, he is a cyborg that has a massive temper with anyone who displeases him, as well as being the universe's worst Jedi hater possible. Well, besides the Sith that is.

"Ready as ever sir," Cody says back. Ever the soldier.

"That's good to hear Cody. Hopefully we can actually apprehend General Grievous this time for good." Master Kenobi says.

"Well I sure am eager for the chance to blast him with a rocket launcher," Boil comments.

"In your dreams brother," Waxer says, hitting him on the shoulder.

I look at him. "You know, something tells me that he's escaped plenty of times before."

"Oh, you have no idea." Master Kenobi says in exasperation as we enter the bridge. He then opens his comlink to Master Skywalker's shuttle. "Are you ready?"

 _"Ready and waiting."_ Anakin's voice replies from his shuttle.

"Jarik and I shall engage the Separatist fleet while sending you the coordinates of Grievous' command ship." Master Kenobi informs him.

 _"Just make sure you get it right."_ Anakin says.

"I always do." Master Kenobi responds to him.

 _"How do you plan on getting Grievous aboard your ship?"_ Master Gallia asks him.

"Not to worry. The good General and I have a history. I'm sure he'll want to even the score face-to-face." Master Kenobi responds confidently. I lean in to his comlink.

"Soon I'll have his attention as well Master!" I say cheekily. I could practically see Anakin rolling his eyes.

 _"I can't believe you actually sound excited about that Jarik."_ Master Skywalker says with an exasperated sigh.

I shrug. "That's just my personality."

 _"Meanwhile, we'll jump in undetected and board the command ship."_ Anakin says, reciting his side of the plan.

 _"If Master Koth is still alive, we will find him."_ Master Gallia adds.

"Hopefully, by the end of this mission, we will have saved Master Koth, and captured General Grievous." Master Kenobi says, ending the transmission.

"Emphasis on, 'if,' Master." I say, making quotation marks.

Soon enough, the fleet entered hyperspace, racing towards General Grievous and Master Koth while I mentally prepared myself for a possible lightsaber battle with the cyborg.

* * *

 _ **Saleucami - Outer Rim Territories**_

After a while, our ship's exit hyperspace above Saleucami where we are immediately greeted by the sight of a large Separatist fleet. No doubt it belongs to Grievous.

"Send a transmission to General Grievous. Best he knows that we are here." Master Kenobi says.

One of the bridge officers nods. "Yes, sir."

It wasn't long before a screen of General Grievous appeared, and I got my first, good look at him. His hologram was kind of fuzzy but I could make out his general features. Now I could see that he has two yellow, reptilian eyes and a mask with no mouth, his neck a long gray tube connected to his body armor.

"General, I knew one day I'd catch up to you." Master Kenobi says with a smirk.

 _"Kenobi! What a surprise!"_ he says in what could be passed off as a fake, exaggerated happy greeting. _"I assume you are here to bring me to justice?"_

"You know me too well."

 _"Indeed, I do,"_ he says, before he then takes notice of me. _"So, you have a new Padawan learner? I'll enjoy making you watch him die!"_

Grievous brings a hand up into a fist for emphasis.

"Yeah? Well you're ugly!" I retort, saying the first thing that came to my mind. Not really the best or strongest comeback I've had.

Behind me, Boil and Waxer both chuckle in amusement while Master Kenobi just sighs. General Grievous's eyes flared angrily and he growls before quickly cutting the transmission. Master Kenobi stares at me with a raised eyebrow.

"We have a job to do Jarik, try not to upset him." he tells me.

"To be fair Master, I think he was ticked off the moment he saw us." I tell him with a shrug.

Master Kenobi considers before shrugging as well. "Fair point my young Padawan."

The ship suddenly rocks as a blast hits it. I look outside to see the Separatist unleashing their payload on our ships. Luckily we put our shields up before arriving.

"We certainly have his attention." Master Kenobi remarks before turning on his comlink.

"Admiral Yularen, keep Grievous' fleet occupied so Anakin's arrival is undetected," he says.

 _"Yes, General."_

Our ships began to fire back, inflicting some damage on the smaller cruisers in the fleet. Both our ships and theirs unleashed our fighters for close proximity battle while the smaller light-cruisers we had maneuvered around the Separatist ships. Currently we were scanning the battlefield for the coordinates to Grievous' ship.

"Commander Cody, do you have the exact coordinates of the command ship yet?" Master Kenobi asks.

"We're patching them through now, sir."

"Good. Knowing Anakin he'll hopefully be able to make his way through the battle undetected." Obi-Wan says.

"And hopefully he doesn't crash like he did on Felucia." I remark, rolling my eyes at the memory.

"That too." Obi-Wan agrees.

Suddenly the ship gets rocked causing everyone on the bridge to lose balance. I nearly fall to the floor, but manage to use the force to steady myself. We start moving towards the Separatist command ship.

"Tractor beam has us, sir. Shall we fire on the source?" Cody tells us worriedly.

"No, Cody. Let them think they have us. We need a diversion for Anakin." Master Kenobi replies.

"You must be really special in his heart if he wants to face us down face-to-face Master. Most likely he'll try and take the ship as well." I tell Obi-Wan

"Even so, if we can catch Grievous while he is on board we will be able to end the war far more quickly. Cody ready your men," he orders. Cody nods his head.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Master Kenobi, Cody and I all took a squad of troopers down to the docking clamps where Grievous was going to connect to our ship and walk through. The troopers all aim their weapons at the door, and one of them stands against the wall beside it in the hopes of catching the first person to enter by surprise.

"Remember, we need to keep Grievous on this ship until General Skywalker is clear." Master Kenobi reminded us.

"Well that shouldn't be a problem," Boil remarks.

"Probably," I tell him reply, turning to Master Kenobi with an observation. "You know, this is probably the first time anyone has actually wanted the enemy on their own ship, instead of doing everything to prevent it. Is that genius or just plain dumb?" I ask him.

"I think we can take whatever the Seppies throw at us sir," Cody says confidently.

"Kriffing right we can!" Boil declares confidently.

We suddenly hear the sound of stomping metallic feet coming from the other side of the door. Four lightsabers then ignite though the door and cut it in a circle. I pull out my lightsaber but don't ignite it just yet. The four lightsabers on the airlock suddenly disappear before it comes flying straight at us. I yelp and leap to the side before it can hit me, and Master Kenobi moves away.

With the door gone, commando droids leaped through the doorway into the hall in a perfectly time summersault. They start firing and I activate my lightsaber to block the shots, Obi-Wan doing the same. The clones return fire and the one hiding next to the door quickly takes out two before they react. Unfortunately another droid stepped through and shoved him against the wall, seeing what had happened. The droid quickly shot the trooper dead before more entered to focus on the rest of us.

I blocked the shots they sent my way, using the Form III techniques that Master Kenobi was having me practice. I use the force to push a droid back that had gotten to close, and Cody fires off a well aimed shot that takes off its head.

"Cody, take the men and fall back! We'll handle Grievous!" Master Kenobi says.

Cody nods and orders the rest of the troopers to fall back to another part of the ship, and the droids follow them. Then the big bad dude himself finally shows up with two Magna Guards at his side.

"Kenobi..." he growls out. The two of us back down the hall in the direction of the bridge while Grievous' droids flank us, pointing their electro staffs in our direction. Luckily we had the foresight to evacuate the bridge when we docked the ship, seeing as how most of the battle looked like it would be taking place there.

Once we reach the bridge, the droids went on the attack, and we each battled one droid. The Magna Guard spun its staff at me, the ends buzzing with purple energy. I dodged its attack and sent my own with a horizontal swipe aimed precisely for its neck, but the droid had quicker reflexes than I thought, and stopped my attack.

"So Jedi, is everything going as planned?" Grievous asks us tauntingly.

Master Kenobi held up his lightsaber and glanced at Grievous and the droids on either side of him. "That depends on your point of view, General."

I then swipe at the droid facing me, and it blocks my attack while Master Kenobi jumps out of the way of an attack his droid sent his way. My droid swipes at my feet, and I jump over its head, aiming for the neck. The droid reacts in time however, and leans out of the way before sending another swipe at me, which I swiftly block. During my battle with the droid, Grievous continues to taunt Master Kenobi, most of his attention on him instead of me. How foolish.

"You wouldn't come here without a plan, and you wouldn't come alone with an upstart, loud-mouthed Padawan. Tell me, do you think Skywalker has rescued Master Koth yet?" Grievous taunts us, and Master Kenobi frowns in worry.

I then push my droid away from me, before twirling my lightsaber to loosen his grip, stabbing it through its glowing red power source. With that out of the way, I turn around and face Grievous, who is still preoccupied with Obi-Wan.

"I don't think you will like that answer Grievous!" I exclaim, jumping at him.

I swing my lightsaber at Grievous, who barely leaps away from surprise. That surprise quickly turns to anger and he growls at me, swiping fast with his two stolen lightsabers in an overhead strike. However, seeing that his arms were fairly wide open, I twist my body so that the blades fall harmlessly on either side of me, and then jump over his head, swinging my lightsaber again.

Unfortunately, Grievous manages to block my attack before suddenly lashing out with his foot, sending me into the wall behind Master Kenobi. He glances at me worriedly before backing up as the Magna Guard attacks him again.

"Your plans have come to ruination, Jedi." Grievous taunted again, while I slowly got up, wincing in pain. That kick was definitely gonna leave a mark.

"I hear a lot of talking, General, but in the final accounting, what does all the talk get you? A futile quest for power, a mutilated body, and your place as Dooku's errand boy." Master Kenobi says this while easily blocking the Magna Guard's attacks.

"More like a horrendous, ticked off executioner." I manage to say, getting back on my feet and reactivating my lightsaber.

"I'm no errand boy. I am not some upstart executioner! And I am not in this war for Dooku's politics. I am the leader of the most powerful droid army the galaxy has ever seen, cleansing it of filth like you!" Grievous roars at us.

His droid charges at Obi-Wan, but is knocked back by a kick, dropping its electrostaff. Master Kenobi then uses the staff to swipe the droid off its feet, stabbing it with his lightsaber.

"An army with no loyalty, no spirit, just programming. Why do you need to show all your power? What have you to gain?" Master Kenobi fires back, pointing his weapons at Grievous. I stand by his side, my lightsaber pointed in front of me defensively.

"The future," Grievous starts to say, pulling out two more lightsabers. "A future where there are no Jedi!"

His arms split into four and he starts using his robotic hands to cause two of his sabers to spin faster than any regular person could hope to do.

"Oh this should be fun." I dryly remark with a groan, knowing that this was going to suck.

Charging like a demon, Grievous quickly slashes at us wildly with all four of his sabers. I leap to the right to avoid them while Obi-Wan quickly backpedals at of the way. After the initial attack, we leap back at Grievous, swinging our lightsabers at him. Grievous blocks our strikes with two arms, and uses the other two to jab at us, which I angle myself so that they miss. I move myself so that I'm more behind him, hoping to get in his blind spot for an attack. Before I can strike, Grievous quickly turns around to face me and uses the strength from all four of his arms to hit me down with his sabers before turning back to Obi-Wan, catching his attack at the last second.

I land on the ground in the lower section of the bridge and slowly get up, watching as Master Kenobi suddenly flips over Grievous, his electrostaff now broken. However Grievous anticipates the move and kicks him in the back, sending Obi-Wan to the ground. He advances menacingly as I get up.

"The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi ends here!" Grievous says gleefully, raising his lightsabers.

"Oh no you don't!" I exclaim, leaping onto his back and holding on.

Grievous roars angrily as he twists around, attempting to throw me off while I try to get a proper grip in order to swing my blade at him. Just as I'm about to land a hit, Grievous grabs me and throws me to the ground, where Obi-Wan shook his head to clear his daze. Grievous then raises his lightsabers to strike, and Master Kenobi backflips away while I roll to the side, Obi-Wan joining me.

Grievous throws his head back in a laugh before charging, the pace of the fight suddenly becoming a lot faster than before. His lightsabers slice through circuit boards without a care, and I have to quickly back up to avoid them, blocking strikes wherever I can. Master Kenobi does the same, and Grievous soon has us pinned to a control panel, with two of his sabers on either of ours.

"Your friends shall die Jedi, and I will make you both suffer before you follow them!" Grievous roars.

"Oh, shut up!" I exclaim, and together, we shove Grievous off of us.

He quickly retaliates, charging at us with his lightsabers spinning wildly, sparks flying from the destroyed bridge controls. We run away from the carnage the General creates before Master Kenobi quickly turns around, using the force to stop Grievous in his tracks. He stumbles, and we take the opportunity to jump at him, using heavy strikes. However, Grievous recovers just in time to block our attacks before retaliating with his own.

We enter into a quick duel, with me and Obi-Wan blocking attacks from two lightsabers separately. I counter-attack with the best moves I currently know, but Grievous manages to knock them aside as I enter into a blade lock with one of his arms. I manage to twist my lightsaber so that it loosens the grip he has on his, and slip past his guard before he throws his other arm up to stop it. Internally I'm raging like a kid losing at a video game. I was so close to giving him a mark!

Something that we have an advantage of with Grievous however, is our ability to use the force. It allows me and Master Kenobi to perform strikes and deflections with each other against Grievous in almost perfect harmony, turning us into formidable opponents.

"Jarik, get back!" Master Kenobi suddenly exclaims.

Sensing his intent, I jump back right as the pieces of a Magna Guard droid slam Grievous into the viewport, courtesy of Master Kenobi. We point our lightsabers at him while e slowly looks up at us.

"Surrender General," Master Kenobi demands.

Grievous suddenly leaps up, his eyes shining in rage.

"Never!" he roars, knocking us harshly to the ground as he crawls for the exit, moving like a spider.

The moment he steps through the door it closes and locks, just as we reach it ourselves.

"Who even moves like that?!" I exclaim as Master Kenobi stabs his lightsaber through the door.

"Contact Anakin and tell him the problem!" Master Kenobi tells me. I nod and pull up my comlink, entering Anakin's code.

"Master Skywalker, I hope you've rescued Master Koth already! Because big, bad and angry is headed back to his ship, which means Grievous!" I tell him quickly.

Once I finish the transmission I join Master Kenobi in cutting the door down.

The moment we break through the double sets of doors, we take off at a run, headed for the airlock. "Any bright ideas now Master?" I ask quickly.

"We have to make sure Grievous doesn't leave the ship in time," he replies. We then run into the pilots just around the corner.

"Get back to the bridge. We need to detach before Grievous jumps ship!" Master Kenobi tells them. They nod in understanding before we both continue the chase after Grievous.

"Is it a good time to mention that I now understand why he seems to escape all the time?" I say.

"We can't let him get away this time my young Padawan," Master Kenobi tells me with a worried frown. He then activates his comlink. "Cody, come in!"

 _"Yes sir,"_ he responds immediately.

"Grievous is headed your way!"

Master Kenobi then ends the transmission as we continue on our way.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

 _"Grevious is headed your way!"_

The moment General Kenobi's voice came through with the warning, the sound of fast robotic stomping sounded around the corner. We whip around to see General Grevious scurrying along at a fast pace.

I immediately open fire with my blaster, Waxer and Cody joining on, followed by the remaining two. Grevious leaps to his feet and whips out four lightsaber, spinning them around to block our shots and slash at us. We all jump out of the way as he storms past to avoid the spinning blades, and he continues at a stomping run.

"He's getting away!" I exclaim.

"This should slow him down!" Waxer replies.

Aiming his blaster, he suddenly shoots out a grappling line that strikes Grevious in the back. The droid General growls angrily, and together the five of us all grab onto the cable and start yanking him backwards towards us. He struggles furiously, but we seen have him in our midst.

Grevious throws his arms around and punches a few of us away, but Cody jumps onto his back, forcing him down. I follow right after him, Waxer right behind me and the other two clones. Our piles forced him down to the ground, grunting and struggling to restrain him.

"Hold him!" Cody exclaims.

In the midst of our scuffle, I manage to throw a punch at Grevious's face. I grunt in pain for a moment, not expecting punching a cyborg to hurt so much. In response to my punch, Grevious growls in rage and throws us all off of him, rushing forwards again.

"Kriffing clanker!" I groan angrily.

"Come on men, after him!" Cody yells, grabbing his blaster and running forwards.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

We keep running at a fast pace before the ship is suddenly rocked by blaster fire. I stumble against the wall before looking up to see Grievous glaring at us.

"Hey look, it's ugly!" I exclaim with a smirk, using my first description of him from before.

Grievous growls and runs into the docking tub as fast as he can, me, Obi-Wan and the clones following after him. Halfway through the tube, the ship suddenly lists over, pulling the tube with it. We all stumble against the wall, and I grab hold of it a few feet behind Master Kenobi. Grievous isn't so lucky, as he slides down towards Obi-Wan like a freshly baked meal.

As the two duel each other, I look around and begin to help Cody gain a grip when the ship rocks again. Master Kenobi then slams into me, catching me by complete surprise as I start to fall, only to be caught by Commander Cody.

"Thanks Cody!" I manage to say once I get a grip on the wall again.

"No problem sir!" he tells me.

I look up to see Grievous at the entrance of the docking tube, ready to close it on us. My eyes widen in horror.

"Until we meet again Kenobi!" he laughs, about to close the door. Fortunately, Master Gallia arrives and enters a duel with Grievous. I sigh with relief.

"Oh how fortunate we are," I tell the men with a smile.

The universe decides to mess with me at that moment, as the end of the docking tube suddenly breaks, greeting us with open space.

"Dang it! If we survive this Cody you have full permission to shoot me!" I exclaim in fear and anger at the thought of being dragged out to suffocate in space.

"I'll do it myself!" Boil yells back at me.

Unfortunately I noticed one of the clones get pulled out, being unable to get a grip in time.

A grappling line is suddenly shot down the tube, and I look up to see Master Gallia holding her grappling gun in hand. Grievous most likely bailed once the ship broke apart. We all grab onto the line and start pulling ourselves up, out of the docking tube. As soon as we're all through, Master Gallia immediately closes the door.

I collapse against the wall with a relieved sigh. "Oh, me and my big mouth."

Despite the situation I could feel Cody's amusement at my words, as well as the sadness he had for the clone's death in space.

"Hurry, we can still catch him!" Master Kenobi exclaims, getting to his feet. Before we can say anything, Master Gallia stops him.

"Obi-Wan, Anakin is leaving. We'll be trapped on the ship." She tells him. He stops for a moment, considering the situation before sighing in defeat.

"Anakin, come in. We're in a bit of a spot and we need a way off of Grievous' ship." Master Kenobi says through the com.

 _"There's a large hanger near your position. Make your way there and I'll pick you up."_

Once the transmission ended, we all made our way towards the hanger as quickly as possible. When we reached the hanger, we found it to be completely empty.

"Oh come on. Where is he?" I mutter.

Thankfully, the shuttle arrives in the hanger seconds later, lowering its boarding ramp. We rush aboard as fast as possible and Anakin takes off, heading back for the Republic fleet.

"Anakin, contact the fleet." Master Kenobi tells him. Anakin presses a few buttons and a hologram of Admiral Yularen appears.

"Admiral, was there any landing craft that left Grievous's ship?" Master Kenobi asks. Admiral Yularen nods in confirmation.

 _"Several craft detached from Grievous' ship and attempted to land on Saleucami,"_ he says.

"Then we'll have to land and follow him. Prepare the tanks." Master Kenobi tells him. The Admiral nods. "Yes sir," he says, the transmission ending.

"There must be several landing sites. It may be hard to locate the good General." Anakin tells Obi-Wan.

"You'll have to command the space battle while Jarik, Rex, Cody and I head to the surface." Master Kenobi says.

"You sure you don't want me to come along Master?" Anakin asks, looking back at us.

"I think we can manage," Master Kenobi responds confidently. I slouch back in my chair.

"Well I'm beat Master. Can I get some rest?" I ask him, throwing out my best innocent face.

Master Kenobi is undeterred. "Not until we manage to capture Grievous my young Padawan."

I shrug. "Worth a shot." I say, while Anakin just shakes his head in amusement.

* * *

Once we land on the main cruiser, we all exited the shuttle, where Master Gallia helps Master Koth to the medical center.

"I'll get Master Koth to a medical frigate," she says.

"You all took a great risk rescuing me." Master Koth tells us gratefully.

Master Kenobi smiles. "You're welcome, Master Koth."

"Since you divided your forces, Grievous is still at large. I would have gladly given my life if it meant bringing that monster to justice!" Master Koth said firmly, just as set on the capture of General Grievous.

"Well, at least we all live to fight another day." Anakin remarks.

"That's a relief. I felt like the universe was out to get me on the docking tube. Besides, bad bad and ugly is grounded on the surface without help." I say with a lace of sarcasm mixed in with optimism.

"That is, if he doesn't manage to somehow get away again." Master Kenobi says.

Anakin pats him on the back. "I'm sure you two will catch him. May the force be with you."

We then all split up to get ready for the second part of our assignment. Anakin headed for the bridge while Master Kenobi and I began to round up a few troopers for the ground assault to capture Genera Grievous for good.


	7. Chapter 6 - The Deserter

_**Saleucami - Outer Rim Territories**_

 **Jarik POV...**

Once we landed the Acclamator on the planet, the ramp lowered and released a few AT-TE walkers, and numerous squads of troops to assist in the hunt for General Grievous. I walked next to Master Kenobi, with Commander Cody on his left while Captain Rex was on my right, discussing the plan.

"Instead of scattering our troops looking for all the escape pods, we shall head towards the wreckage of the landing transport first." Master Kenobi says.

"Wouldn't Grievous think to leave it, knowing that we would search there if he was on board? Master?" I ask in slight confusion.

Master Kenobi nods in understanding.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't there when we arrived. However, any wrecked droids or computer terminals could give us insight on his location better than a manual search of all of the escape pods," he answers.

I nod, understanding what he was saying. "That makes perfect sense."

The sun starts to set as we head in the direction of the crashed ship. I have to wonder how this search for Grievous will go.

* * *

Later in the day, a little less than an hour into the search, Master Kenobi and I were standing on one of the tanks that continued to walk forward. Master Kenobi was searching the forest ahead with a pair of binoculars when Captain Rex pulled up beside the tank to look up at us.

"General Kenobi, Commander Shan. Sir, the cruisers have just returned to orbit. Any sign of Grievous?" he asks us.

I look at Obi-Wan.

"Master?" I ask.

He studies whatever he is looking at before turning to face us. "I believe we may have found Grievous' ship."

"Well that's good news. Hopefully there may be something that could have something for me to slice into," I say. (slice is the Star Wars term for hacking). Master Kenobi nods. "Indeed. Tell the troops to head directly due East." Master Kenobi tells Rex.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Once we arrive at the crashed sight, the clones all spread out to search for signs of droids or any evidence to Grievous' location, lifting up various bits of degree. I go along with them as well to see if there are any salvageable droids that I could slice into. So far they were all pieces of scrap.

"Most of these droids are pretty much trash Master." I say, kicking one that immediately falls to multiple pieces afterwards.

Master Kenobi raises his hand to his chin, something that I notice he does a lot.

"Best to keep looking until we know for sure," he says.

Cody looks up from where he's kneeling by the ships engines. "Normalizing intakes are still warm. This couldn't have happened too long ago."

Rex then comes back from his search of the ships interior. "The crew compartment's almost entirely destroyed as well sir."

"We'll split up into teams then." Master Kenobi decides. "Jarik, take Rex, Jesse, Hardcase and Kix to search the wetlands. Grievous couldn't have gotten far. Cody and I will pick it up from here."

I nod in understanding. "Yes Master."

I then head over with Rex to the group I would be going with, where a few speeders were set up for us to use. I got on mine and familiarized myself with it for a second, having never used a speeder before. We then set off towards the wetlands, passing through rolling farm hills.

* * *

Unfortunately for me, the sun was directly ahead of us, and I didn't have a helmet, so I couldn't block out the glare. To make matters worse dust would occasionally get sent into my face. I grumbled in annoyance.

"Remind me to bring a pair of goggles the next time I'm on a speeder," I tell Captain Rex, who nods with a bit of amusement.

"Of course sir," he replies.

Due to the sun partially obscuring my vision, I never noticed the Commando droids that were lining up a shot. The moment they fired however was when I sensed it coming straight for us.

"Incoming!" I exclaim, moving out of the way of the shot that was originally aimed for me.

I managed to miss it, however Captain Rex couldn't react fast enough, and he was hit out of the speeder, the bolt hitting his chest. I manage to not cry out in surprise, sensing that he was still alive. However an incredible amount of guilt sprung up in me, because the shot was aimed at me, but hit Rex instead because I moved out of the way. Getting a grip on my feelings, I call out to the team medic.

"Kix! Cover Rex!" I shout over the sound of the speeder bikes.

Kix nods and turns around without a word, immediately heading back to Rex's position while the rest of us sped towards the droids. They tried to make a run for it, but we shot them down quickly using our blaster cannons, stopping by their mangled frames.

"Commando droids!" Hardcase exclaims angrily.

 _"Commander, you better get back here!"_ Kix calls me on my comlink.

"Alright Kix, we'll be back in a moment," I reply

We speed over to their position and quickly get off the bikes.

"How bad is it?" Hardcase asks.

"Pretty bad." Kix says gravely. "I need to remove his armor in order to see the full extent of the damage."

Jesse looks around. "Those snipers might've called for backup. Unless we want to get picked off one by one, we should find better cover first."

I look up and notice the animals approaching us. From the way their acting, and how they feel through the force, I believe them to be domesticated.

"How about a farm?" I offer, gesturing to the animals. "These guys are domesticated."

Hardcase nods, understanding my line of thought.

"And where there's a farm, there's usually a farmer," he says knowingly.

"Then lets crash at his place and hope we aren't chased out with an angry pitchfork." I tell the men.

They nod. "Yes sir."

"I'm not willing to be skewered by droids or a pitchfork." Hardcase says.

I shake my head in amusement. Jesse then heads over to his speeder to pull out the stretcher while Kix and Hardcase gently lifted Rex off the ground. I help Jesse open up the stretcher to carry Rex, and soon enough we're off.

Eventually we come across a few fields and a farmer's settlement in the distance. The house is relatively simple in nature, if maybe a little run down, while the barn is large and circular. We pull up in front of the house, and are just about to get off the bikes and knock on the door when it opens, and a pink colored Twi'lek woman immediately aims a rifle at Jesse. He raises his hands placatingly and I do so as well, a little cautious yet amused by the situation.

"We want no trouble here," she says, keeping a good grip on her rifle.

Hardcase rolls up behind Jesse.

"Easy with that weapon Ma'am," he says, pulling off his helmet. "We're here as friends."

"State your business," she demands.

"Our captain's been hurt and we're looking for a place to help tend to him." I tell the woman, lowering my hands a little.

Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees me, recognition showing in them, although she doesn't lower her weapon, although she does seem to consider.

"I'm no doctor, so just-" she tries to say when I get her attention again.

"Kix here is a medic, we just need a place to help him overnight." Upon being mentioned, Kix raises an arm and gives a small wave.

Suddenly a quick patter of feet gets our attention as two Twi'lek children appear at the door. I raise my eyebrows and grin a little, lowing my hands as they gaze at us in obvious innocent fascination.

"Mommy, whose-!" The girl starts to say.

"Get back inside both of you," the mother tells them, lowering her rifle. They groan in displeasure before the boy notices me. He gasps with a delighted smile on his face.

"But mommy! That's a Jedi!" he says in excitement, the two of them jumping up and down.

"I know, but stay inside for now. You can meet them later," she tells her children.

Reluctantly, they head inside, but not without staring at me for as long as possible.

"There are some benches in the barn. It's the best I can do," she tells us once the kids leave.

"That'll be fine ma'am. Thank you." Hardcase tells her with a smile.

She lowers her weapon, seeing us as not being a threat, although she eyes us suspiciously.

* * *

Later in the evening, when it was starting to get dark out, we had set Captain Rex up on one of the empty tables inside of the barn. Kix went about carefully removing his armor to get a look at the wound, while the rest of us watched, having no medical knowledge. While I knew that Rex or the Clones wouldn't blame me for the accident I still felt guilty due to the fact that the shot was originally meant for me, and Rex happened to be behind me at the wrong time.

Kix applied a bacta patch when Rex started to wake up.

"What.. what happened?" he asks drowsily.

"Commando droids took a pot shot at you, that would've gone straight through your heart had it been two inches to the left." Kix informs him.

"I... can't move my arm." Rex asks worriedly, trying to sit up.

"You have some nerve damage." Kix tells him.

"Will it heal Kix?" I ask him.

"With enough time and bacta administered to his injury, he should make a full recovery sir." Kix says. I sigh in relief while Rex rolls over.

"Understood. Patch me up and let's get on with it." Rex says stubbornly, reminding me of Ahsoka. Hmm, I wonder why.

"Sir you're in no condition. It will heal but it'll take time," Kix warns him.

Rex turns around to glare at him. "We have to get underway Kix. That's an order."

Kix disagrees and eyes him. "Sir, as team medic, when it comes to the health of the men including you and Commander Shan, I outrank everyone."

I send Rex a small grin.

"He's right. Ahsoka told me all about your "experience outranks everything" rule, and Kix has the most experience medically. I think he wins." I tell him. Kix beams and quickly nods to Rex, who sighs in reluctance. The sound of coughing gets our attention.

"Excuse me," the twi'lek woman says, holding a tray of food. "If there's not enough.."

Jesse heads over, accepting the tray. "Uh, that's plenty. Thank you.." he starts to say, realizing he doesn't know her name.

"Suu," she tells him. Suddenly a toy ball comes floating past them and heads underneath the table. Oh boy, the kids have arrived.

"I told you to stay in the house." Suu tells her kids. The girl crawls underneath the table to retrieve her ball.

"I couldn't help it mom. It got away," the girl says innocently. She looks at Rex in wonder before giggling a little. "You look like my daddy!"

The young boy then enters the room and gasps at he sight of me. "Wow! Can I see your laser sword?"

I shrug a little.

"I could, but it's pretty lethal." I tell him.

"I always thought of Jedi being old people who sit on cushions!" the girl says, giggling.

I roll my eyes a little while Hardcase starts to snicker at the thought. Even Rex lets off a small smile.

"Don't bother the Jedi and soldiers kids." Suu tells her children. "Now head back inside."

"Yes mom," they tell her, giggling to each other.

I can't help but smile at the sight. If Ahsoka were here she would start squealing over how cute and adorable they are.

"My husband is away delivering the harvest. Do you need anything else?" Suu asks us. I shake my head.

"We're fine here ma'am. Thank you." I say gratefully. She nods and heads back into the main house.

"Resume the search without me Commander. I'll be fine," Rex tells me, laying back. I nod my head.

"Alright Rex. Hope you get better soon."

With the words being said, me and the other three departed from the barn and got onto our speeders. We set off in the direction we were originally heading towards. Soon enough however, I got a message from Master Kenobi over my comlink.

 _"Jarik, come in please,"_ he says. I click the button on my wrist com and reply. "Yes Master?"

 _"We may have discovered General Grievous' location. Bring Captain Rex and his men over to our location."_ Master Kenobi tells me.

"Yeah, about that, Rex was injured." I tell him.

 _"What's his condition?"_ Master Kenobi asks me.

"He'll be fine, but we had to find him a place to stay while he heals." I say.

 _"Very well. We're headed to the west. Swing around and we can meet up at the final escape pod. We're going to need all the firepower we can muster."_ Master Kenobi says. I nod my head.

"Yes Master." I close the channel and then turn to the other three troopers.

"Master Kenobi believes that Grievous is in the west direction so let's get over there as fast as we can!" I tell them.

"Yes sir!" Jesse replies.

We all turn our speeders around and head in the direction of the coordinates Master Kenobi sent me.

* * *

Once we got closer to the coordinates, we started to here the sounds of battle. Looks like they started without us. Soon enough we were in range to start firing our speeder's guns at a few droids that were nearby. A Separatist shuttle flew overhead, no doubt attempting to pick up General Grievous.

 _"How are you doing Jarik?"_ Master Kenobi asks me.

"We're pretty close. That shuttle overhead is no doubt attempting to rescue big bad and ugly right?" I ask.

 _"It most certainly will try."_ Master Kenobi tells me.

When we reach the main battlefield, I jump off my speeder, letting it slow down next to one of the tanks and pull out my lightsaber, blocking shots that were heading my direction.

The AT-TE moved forward as the clones fired upon the droids. I ran forward with a small group of clones, who were firing upon any nearby droids. I saw Master Kenobi up ahead and ran in his direction. I sliced through a droid that was nearby and eventually stood next to Master Kenobi.

 _"Sir, that ship's coming around for another landing attempt."_ Jesse says through the comlink.

"Keep firing. Don't let that ship land." Master Kenobi replies.

Unfortunately the tank guns choose that moment to stop working, and a thick cloud of black smoke rose from it.

"The guns are overheated!" The gunner says.

"Always something." Master Kenobi says in annoyance.

"So what's the plan now Master? We can't keep shooting at that ship forever." I tell him.

"It's time to pay the good General a visit," he replies.

I nod in understanding and we rush forward to where Grievous is standing, still waiting for his shuttle. I slice through one droid guarding him, and Master Kenobi dashes through another before leaping at Grievous' unprotected back.

"General, behind you!" One if the droids tells out. I immediately force pull the droid towards me and slice it in half.

Hearing his droid's warning however, Grievous turned around quickly and got out a green lightsaber, just barely blocking the attack. He crossed blades with Master Kenobi a couple of times before throwing his cape at him, confusing him for a second. He then appeared on his side, spinning two blades when I blocked a strike meant to slash Master Kenobi.

The two of us quickly attack Grievous with a flurry of strikes when he manages to knock me back with a powerful strike. Master Kenobi manages to shove Grievous against the pod and prepares to leap at him with his signature move when Grievous kicks him back full in the chest. Grievous then started to climb the pod, deactivating his lightsabers.

"Forget trying to land!" he yells to the shuttle.

I jump up with my lightsaber and manage to damage one of his legs. He roars in rage and swings a fist at me, knocking me off back onto the ground. Grievous then fired a grappling hook at the shuttle, which then begins to take off. Master Kenobi tries to climb after him but it was too late.

"Jedi scum!" Grievous laughs at us as the shuttle flies away.

The clones try to fire at him but Grievous swings his saber around, deflecting a few shots.

"Are you all right, sir?" Cody asks us as he approaches.

"No!" Master Kenobi exclaims in frustration. "We're right back where we started. Call the cruisers. See if they can stop that ship."

"Right away, sir." Cody responds.

"And tell them to send someone to pick us up." Master Kenobi adds, sounding defeated and irritated.

Considering the history he has with the General I can't say I blame him. Both times he escaped with practically out of sheer luck, or he caught us by surprise.

"Well, there's always next time right Master?" I ask. He nods.

"There certainly is Jarik. I just wish we didn't have to need a next time." Master Kenobi says. I shrug, not knowing what else to say.

* * *

When the sun started to rise, I told Master Kenobi that I was going to take a speeder to pick up Captain Rex from the farm. He agreed, telling me to be careful before I set off. I also commed Rex to let him know I was on the way. By the time I reached the farm the sun was above the horizon and beginning to beat down heavily.

"You're still a deserter Cut, but you're certainly not a coward." I hear Rex say.

I pull up in front of the house where Rex stands waiting with his armor and helmet, as well as Suu's family. I also notice the farmer himself is a clone. Interesting, but if he wants this life then there's no reason to stop him.

"Hey Rexter. Did you sleep well?" I ask with a smirk.

He nods, though I can see his mouth slightly upturned, indicating a smile.

"Yes sir, although we did have a small overnight issue." Rex informs me.

I look around the house, my eyes passing over the family in a quick glance. I notice that Suu and her husband tense up a little bit, but don't comment.

"Yeah, I can see that." I say with a smirk, getting off and walking up to the side of the wall.

I nudge a dead commando droid before suddenly pulling out my lightsaber, and stabbing something behind me. A sparking, beat up commando droid suddenly groans and falls to the ground, a sizzling hole in its chest. Everyone jumps in surprise as I deactivate my lightsaber.

"Missed one." I tell him with a shrug. Rex rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"Awesome!" the kids exclaim, their faces lit up in awe.

I give the kids a small wave before looking to Rex. "So, ready to head back?"

"Yes sir, looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the men." Rex says. I nod before looking towards the family.

"Well, good luck to you guys out here on your farm," I say with a wink, getting on the speeder. Rex walks over to the speeder as well.

"You're.. not going to turn me in?" Cut asks, sounding worried and confused. I shrug.

"What would be the point? It would separate you from your family, you'd all be miserable, and I would feel guilty. I see no need to force someone to change their life. It certainly isn't my life thats for sure." I tell him with a grin. He nods in relief.

"Thank you... Commander," he says, sending a small smile to me in return as Rex climbs onto the speeder as well.

"You're welcome to stay Rex," Cut offers. Rex looks at him.

"This is your home Cut. Mine, is elsewhere." Rex tells him with a smile.

"Well that's good to hear. I'd hate to explain to Master Skywalker and Ahsoka that they can't trust the greatest soldier they have," I tell Rex with a smirk. He rolls his eyes.

"That would be quite the sight sir," he agrees.

"Goodbye!" The kids start to say, waving at us.

Rex waves back as I start the speeder, taking off back for the rest of the team into the sunrise.


	8. Chapter 7 - Meeting R5-S7

_**Jedi Temple - Coruscant**_

 **Jarik POV...**

After the hunt for Grievous finally ended, me and Master Kenobi got to take a break from the war for a couple of weeks until we were to be given a new assignment. Master Skywalker and Ahsoka were also off too, although they would be going back out in about a week, and were given the task of locating a few simple criminal figures in Coruscant's lower levels for a little bit. Currently I was in the middle of a training session with Master Kenobi, although this time we were dealing more on matters with the force, instead of a lightsaber.

"Concentrate on your surroundings Padawan," he instructed me. "Clear your mind."

I was sitting in a circular training room, legs crossed in a meditation pose, with Master Kenobi opposite to me.

I nodded mutely, my eyes closed in heavy concentration as I focused on what I needed to do. Surrounding the edges of the smaller sized chamber were different sized stones. I had to lift them all without leaving my mediation pose or moving my arms. And it was hard. There were twelve stones total and I could only lift three stones maximum at the moment. Other stones either shook a little bit or didn't move at all.

"Now, lift the stone behind you. Let the Force flow through you as an ally. You do not command it, and it does not command you." Master Kenobi said, studying my progress.

I breathed in deeply before focusing my attention on the stone he was talking about. It started to wobble slightly, and at the same time one of the stones floating started to fall. In a panic I kept the stone back up, but lost my connection to the fourth stone.

"Stay calm, and focus. Allow yourself to share the energy between all four of them."

Hesitantly, I tried again, although much slower this time. The rock began to wobble before it shakily started to lift into the air again. Growing more confident, I eased a bit more Force energy towards lifting that rock. Once it was about level to the other three, I started to inwardly cheer at my success, however it immediately fell apart, and all four stones came crashing to the ground.

I leaned forward on my hands, breathing heavily from the exertion. Sure, I've lifted heavier things before, but that was with hand motions, and it was only one object. These stones were meant to challenge a Force user's ability, strengthening the training process.

"I almost had it," I say in defeat.

"Almost, but it was much better than the last time Jarik." Master Kenobi said with a smile.

It was true. When I first started this exercise I could barely lift two at the same time. Now I'm almost up to four.

"Thank you Master," I manage to say. He nods.

"You've done well my young Padawan. That will be all for our lessons today." Master Kenobi says, getting up. I stand up as well.

"Great!" I say happily, and also tired as well.

"Before you go and do whatever it is you do Jarik, there is something that I need you to pick up." Master Kenobi says. I frown in confusion.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Seeing as how you're starting to become more involved in the Clone Wars, I believe it would be beneficial for you to get an astromech droid companion. Anakin has R2, Ahsoka has R7, and I have R4." Master Kenobi told me. My eyes sparkle in a little bit of excitement.

"Really master?" I ask him in surprise. He nods his head.

"Really. While I don't expect us to be heading into our fighters for space combat anytime soon, you never know when a droid companion may be needed. Over in another district of Coruscant I reserved a slot for you to pick up a droid to your liking this afternoon." Master Kenobi says.

"Thank you Master," I tell him excitedly.

"Just be sure to return within two hours. You can take the train to the shop with this card. It has only two uses," he says, handing me a silvery gold looking card. I take it and place it on my belt.

"Then I'll be back in two hours with a new friend to challenge Anakin with Master!" I say, moving out the room with a grin on my face.

Master Kenobi shakes his head in exasperation as I leave for the droid shop as quickly as possible, grabbing my dark brown Jedi cloak on the way out.

* * *

Once I got off of the train near the droid shop I put on my cloak, although I kept my hood down because it wasn't too necessary. The shop was close enough, so I entered and started looking around the different rows of inactive astromech droids. The models seemed to vary in shape and type, with the round domed droids being more common.

After a few minutes of searching one droid caught my eye. It seemed to be a dark silvery color, with the trim on the droid being a warm gold. The restraining bolt sat stuck to the droid on its center console, and the droid itself was in fairly good condition, although seeming a little bit old by a couple of years.

"May I be of service Master Jedi?" a voice asked me.

I looked over to see the shopkeeper, who looked to be a Sullustian peering at me and the droid.

"Yeah. I'm looking to purchase an astromech droid, and I was considering this one here." I told him, gesturing to the silver and gold droid next to me. He gazes at it for a moment before nodding.

"The R5-S7? A fairly decent droid, however it is an older model, I must warn you," he says.

"It'll be no trouble sir," I tell him with a smile.

"Very well," he says. "That will be 899 credits Master Jedi."

I fish out the small pile of Republic credits and hand them over. He gives me the buzzer for the droid's restraining bolt in return.

"Have a good day," he says.

I nod my thanks as he walks to another area of the shop and then turn my attention to the droid. I look it over for a few brief minutes before finding the power switch to turn it on. R5 comes alove with a series of beeps and blinking lights on his dome. He looks over at me and then beeps excitedly. Thankfully I took the time to learn Binary alongside my skills as a Slicer during my days as a Jedi Initiate.

"Hey there R5." I say. He beeps a question in reply. "Yes, I'm your new owner. And I'm hoping we get along just fine little buddy."

He beeps happily and I smile. Already R5 seems like a fun little droid, and I hope I can inspire some personality in him like Anakin's droid R2. That would be fantastic.

"Well come along then, we've got to get back to the Temple before we get to know each other," I tell him, heading for the door.

R5 obediently replies and follows after me as I exit the droid shop. We head back over to the train station in relative silence, preferring to wait until we're in a quieter area to start up conversation.

* * *

After a 5 minute walk, me and R5 arrive back at the station, where I show them my card and registration for the droid before they let me pass, as they also notice my lightsaber for being a Jedi. I'm waiting with R5 on the station platform for the train to arrive when someone gets my attention.

"Padawan!" an old voice exclaims. I turn to see an old Jedi Master hobbling towards me, Master Sinube I believe.

I bow in front of him in respect. "Master Sinube."

He smiles and rests his hands on his cane. "And what would the Padawan of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi be waiting at a train station for?"

I'm a little surprised that he knows who I am, but not by that much. After Master Yoda, Tera Sinube is the oldest Jedi living in the Order.

"Master Kenobi gave me permission to purchase an astromech droid. I think he's a cool little guy," I tell him, looking down at R5. He beeps a little nervously and shyly at my praise of him. I smirk a little bit in amusement.

"Very fine droid indeed," Master Sinube agrees.

"If I may ask, what are you doing out here by the train station Master?" I ask in slight confusion. He shrugs.

"Oh, just here to enjoy a good criminal catch," he tells me with a mischievous smile.

I raise an eyebrow at him in confusion when the train arrives in front of us. The door opens and I see a Jango Jumper holding a lightsaber to a woman and childs throat... wait WHAT?

Obviously they're just as surprised as me because the criminal stares at me in surprise, and the woman takes the opportunity to run away with her son. I notice that she is carrying Ahsoka's lightsaber and manage to catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my vision. With narrowed eyes I draw my Sapphire colored lightsaber. She looks scared but attempts to attack me in order to escape.

Her attack attempt was so pathetic I could block it with both arms tied behind my back. I raise my saber and easily catch the stolen blade on mine. She throws two more sloppy and clumsy blows my way before I twist my weapon in a spiral, sending the lightsaber out of her hands and over to Ahsoka, who catches it with ease. Now defenseless, I raise my hand and use the Force to knock her into the wall, where she lies stunned.

"Jarik?" Ahsoka asks me in surprise. I look over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you just get your lightsaber stolen from you by a Jango Jumper?" I ask her. She looks away in embarrassment.

"Maybe..." she mumbles.

Master Sinube then walks in, as well a trio of police droids. Ahsoka looks at him in surprise.

"For a guy that moves slow, you always seem to get ahead of me," Ahsoka remarks.

"The value of moving slowly, is that one can always see the way ahead." Master Sinube tells her.

"This is a story that I need to hear Snips!" I say cheerfully.

She frowns at me. "Hey, that's Anakin's name for me."

"Alright then... Sweetie Horns," I smirk, tapping her montrals. She elbows me in the stomach.

"Jarik!" she complains in playful annoyance. Master Sinube chuckles at our bickering.

"A story which you may hear all in good time Padawan Shan," he tells me.

The trio of droids then take away the Jango Jumper, and Ahsoka smiles as she gazes at the mother and son, who are hugging each other in relief. She then turns back to me.

"Speaking of which, what are you doing here?" Ahsoka asks me.

"Master Kenobi allowed me to buy my own astromech droid, so... Ahsoka, meet R5-S7!" I tell her, gesturing to R5 who beeps in hello, looking between us. She smiles at him in excitement.

"You got an astromech droid? He's so cute looking!"

R5 beeps indignantly and I snicker at his and Ahsoka's reaction.

"Well we were just heading back to the Temple when Master Sinube showed up." I told her.

"An excellent idea! I believe our work here is finished!" Master Sinube proclaims.

* * *

When we arrived back at the Temple, I said my goodbyes to Ahsoka and Master Sinube for the day, returning to me and Master Kenobi's quarters in the Temple. During the train ride back, Master Sinube told me the story of what went on during the hunt for Ahsoka's lightsaber and I had to laugh at a couple of parts, specifically when he recounted Ahsoka's impatience on how slow he was being during the search. Needless to say Ahsoka was embarrassed, but she enjoyed it as much as the rest of us did.

R5 beeps at me.

"Yes, you're going to be getting a good cleaning soon enough. I've got a few ideas of what to add to you anyways." I tell him.

He beeps happily at my response, then asks me a question. I frown and turn a little embarrassed.

"What? No, me and Ahsoka are just friends. Have been since we met here." I tell him.

He beeps sarcastically again.

"No I don't! You take that back right now buddy!" I exclaim.

R5 shakes his head with a beep and I sigh at his behavior. Barely an hour with me and he already has my teasing personality. Is this how Ahsoka feels whenever I tease her?

I opened the door and entered the main room, where I was greeted by Master Kenobi. The light shined brought the blinds and R5 looked around at the simple room.

"I take it you were successful?" Master Kenobi asks me. I nod.

"Definitely a good one Master. Meet R5-S7." I tell him, gesturing to my new droid who beeps a hello. "I like him already!"

"Good job Jarik. In a few days time we are going to be headed to our next assignment." Master Kenobi says. For some reason a can sense a little bit of nervousness from him, but decide to ignore it.

"And... what would that trip be?" I ask.

"The Senate has heard rumors that, Duchess Satine, of Mandalore is secretly building an armor to oppose the Republic." Master Kenobi says. I notice how he hesitates on Satine's name but don't comment on it.

"Isn't Mandalore the head of the Neutral Systems?" I ask in confusion.

Master Kenobi nods. "They are. We are being sent there to confirm if these rumors are true or not."

"Alright. To the warrior culture we come." I finally say.

"Spend these next few days to continue your studies, otherwise use them as an opportunity to rest." Master Kenobi tells me.

With that being said, he leaves the room to attend to some other matters that he has, being a member of the High Council, and I'm left in the room with R5. He beeps at me.

"Will you stop saying that!?" I exclaim incredulously. He beeps again, humor even heard in his tone. I groan in exasperation.

I guess now I have someone to match skills with me in teasing.


	9. Chapter 8 - The Mandalore Plot

The stars returned to our view, and a planet and a moon was revealed after I exited my new starfighter from Hyperspace. Beside me, Master Kenobi's ship exited lightspeed as well, and we detached from our Hyperspace Rings.

Mandalore. The place I've read so much about, or heard so much about. Most of what I know about Mandalore is that it has a long history known for its fierce warriors and unrivaled skill, except for the Jedi. A few thousand years ago one of the last Great Mandalorian Wars took place, which the powerful Jedi Revan took place in. Quite an intriguing story.

"Well, the landscape is certainly nice looking," I say over the com connecting our two ships together.

"Mandalore has had a history full of war, which has taken its toll," Master Kenobi said.

"Which makes the current government absolutely ironic," I say.

We flew our starfighters down to the Mandalorian Capitol, which appeared as a huge black metal sphere surrounded by pale grounds. The port jutted out from the sphere, which is where we landed our shuttles. R5 beeped at me.

"No R5, nobody is going to steal the ship," I tell my droid. Recently I had removed his restraining bolt and added some upgrades to his systems that I had personally developed myself (yeah be jealous). Along with that his snarky attitude had improved. I wouldn't have it any other way. He beeped at me again.

"Well, if someone does try and steal the ship, just fly away! Or shock them, which is fine too," I tell him.

R5 beeps in satisfaction, and I open the cockpit, getting out alongside Master Kenobi.

We headed over to a Mandalorian Guard that was waiting with a speeder to take us to the Duchess. "The Duchess awaits your arrival, Master Jedi." The guard says.

"Far be it from us to keep the Duchess waiting," he responds for both of us.

* * *

We soon arrive at the Palace, and I gaze around at the architecture of the building with a small and quiet whistle.

"They sure are fancy," I mutter to Master Kenobi. Before he can respond, someone greets us.

"General Kenobi!" the man calls out. Obi-Wan shakes his hand.

"Thank you for meeting us Prime Minister Almec. May I introduce my Padawan Jarik Shan," Master Kenobi says, gesturing to me.

I bow respectfully. "Prime Minister." I greet.

"A pleasure to meet you Padawan Shan. I welcome you both as a servant of the people, though I am troubled by the false rumors that brought you here," Almec tells us in a worried tone. "Mandalore would never turn against the Republic. The Duchess Satine values peace more than her own life."

Had to make me wonder how a warrior culture like Mandalore produced such a peace loving ruler. Once again... IRONIC!

"Oh I'm aware of the Duchess' views," Master Kenobi says knowingly.

I perk up a little bit. So he knows Duchess Satine personally? I wonder how this is going to go.

"Master Kenobi, Mandalore's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were exiled to our moon of Concordia. They died out years ago," Minister Almec assures us. Master Kenobi frowns.

"Are you sure? I recently encountered a man who wore Mandalorian armor. Jango Fett," he says. I remember that story he told to me. Specifically how he kicked Jango off a building while he was still tied to him. That was funny.

"Jango Fett was no more than a common bounty hunter," Minister Almec says, getting a little defensive. "How he acquired that armor is beyond me."

The discussion was interrupted as the Duchess entered the room. She wore a blue dress along with a blue headdress that showed a feeling of royalty. She was flanked by two guards and the Senator for Mandalore.

"Well, Master Kenobi, my shining knight to the rescue once again," she proclaims. I raise my eyebrows at Master Kenobi. Clearly these two have met before. The Duchess sits on her throne, which seems to glow slightly when she does.

"After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever," Master Kenobi says- wait WHAT? Did I just hear him say that? That's something Master Skywalker would usually say. I quickly look between the two before a small grin forms on my face. This, is going to be juicy! My gosh...

"Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery," Duchess Satine says loudly.

Well this escalated, as apparent by how the Senator, Tal Merrik I believe, looked alarmed by what she said. I look at Master Kenobi, who continues to speak.

"I would never accuse you of personal wrongdoing Duchess, however a Separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers. A Mandalorian, saboteur," Master Kenobi says.

I take that as the cue to pull out the hologram of the recording I managed to snag of the saboteur. The Mandalorian fires his blaster a few times, doing a barrel roll as well as firing a rocket from his booster jetpack before the recording ends. The Duchess, Senator and Prime Minister look alarmed yet suspicious of the recording.

"You must be mistaken. No Mandalorian would partake in such violence. Not anymore at least. Where is this prisoner now?" Minister Almec asks us.

"He took his life rather than submit to questioning. I know these Commandos fought in many wars, often against Jedi," Master Kenobi says.

"Every one of my people is as trustworthy as I am!" Duchess Satine proclaims.

"I know we sound defensive, but-" Senator Merrik starts to say before being interrupted by the Duchess.

"Clearly your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs!" Duchess Satine accuses us. I cough to get everyone's attention.

"Excuse me Duchess, but we were actually given this assignment by the Jedi Council. The Senate doesn't have anything to do with it," I tell her sheepishly. Oh how I hate politics. They're boring, they suck, they're pointless, and take forever to decide on things.

The Duchess immediately calms down though upon hearing this.

"My apologies, I stand corrected," she amends. "I do not believe I have met you yet young Jedi."

"Duchess Satine, may I introduce my new Padawan, Jarik Shan," Master Kenobi says, introducing me. I offer a small bow of respect.

"It is an honor to meet you Duchess," I tell her.

"And it is a pleasure to meet the Padawan of Master Kenobi. I trust he hasn't influenced you too much?" she asks me, a small bit of mischief in her voice, directed at Obi-Wan.

I grin at her and him. "Actually, I think I drive him crazy."

Master Kenobi sighs while the Duchess smiles in amusement.

"Good to hear. General Kenobi, Padawan Shan, perhaps you'd like to accompany me on a walk through the city?" she asks, holding her hand out for Master Kenobi to take.

He helps her out of the throne and we walk away. I notice how she links her arm with Master Kenobi's with no small amount of amusement. Obi-Wan catches my smirk and ignores me. What I didn't notice was Senator Merrik widening his eyes in surprise when I was introduced, specifically at my last name. He watches us leave with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

* * *

As we wondered around the city, I couldn't help but gaze at the architecture of the place. It was similar to Coruscant, being a city world, and yet so different at the same time. And the leaves on the small trees and plants were blocky. Weird, like a video game or whatever.

"It's so good to see you again Obi-Wan, despite the circumstances," Satine tells Master Kenobi kindly. The use of only his first name makes me smirk mischievously again. Clearly these two had some history.

Your peaceful ways have paid off. Mandalore has prospered since the last time I was here," Master Kenobi says.

Duchess Satine sighs. "Unfortunately, not everyone on Mandalore believes in our commitment to peace as a sign of, progress. There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you are looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past. There are certain officials among us that are working to root out these criminals. It has been an ongoing investigation," she informs us.

"And how widespread is this Death Watch movement?" Master Kenobi asks her.

She shakes her head. "It's hardly a movement. It's a small group of hooligans who choose to vandalize public places, nothing more. We shall soon have them in our custody. We've tracked them down to our moon, Concordia," Duchess Satine tells us confidently.

"I hope you're right Duchess," Master Kenobi says.

Duchess Satine then turns her attention to me. "Well enough of this dreadful talk. I'd like to know more about the esteemed Padawan of Obi-Wan himself," she says with a smile.

I smiled back, feeling a little shy. Hey, it's a Duchess. What can you do?

"Well, at the Temple I'm considered a dueling prodigy in my class. I've been apart of the Jedi since I was three, alongside my best friend Ahsoka," I tell her.

"So you must be quite the warrior then? How does the war treat you as a, Commander?" The Duchess asks me. I barely notice that she says Commander with some hesitancy.

Master Kenobi eyes her. "Satine..."

"No it's alright Master," I quickly amend. "I'm not entirely sure what to think on my status as a Commander to be honest. Mostly I try use my fun quick witted humor to keep morale high in the middle of battle. I know we're supposed to be Peacekeepers but I honestly don't know what other people think. They're just too many different ideals."

"As a peacekeeper, we belong on the front-lines of conflict. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to do our job," Master Kenobi says.

"The work of a Peacekeeper is to make sure that conflict does not arise," duchess Satine argues back.

"Oh here we go," I mutter in amusement.

"Yes, a noble description, but not a realistic one," Master Kenobi responds to her.

Duchess Satine eyes him skeptically. "Is reality what makes a Jedi abandon their ideals? Or is it simply a response to political convenience?"

Before Master Kenobi could respond, the memorial shrine in front of us explodes violently, sending the people close to it flying. I hold out my hand to shield my face, and Obi-Wan does the same to protect Satine. People around us start to scream and run away in either fear, or pain.

"Are you alright?" Master Kenobi asks us.

I nod my head. "Never better Master."

"I'm fine," Satine tells us, looking over at the scene with worry. The three of us rush over upon seeing a few people lying on the ground injured, and Satine kneels next to one, helping to support him while her guards surround the scene.

"Hooligans couldn't have arranged an attack of this scale," Master Kenobi points out.

"Then this must be the work of an off-worlder," Duchess Satine argues. I then notice a reddish orange colored symbol appear on a hologram. It seemed to be three strange slashes.

"Are you sure about that Duchess?" I say, pointing at the symbol. They look over and Satine's face turns grave.

"The symbol of the Death Watch," she says.

"This goes far beyond vandalism. This is a political statement against your government, and against you," Master Kenobi tells Satine. "You're not safe here. I'm taking you back to the palace."

Master Kenobi then helps Duchess Satine up while I continue to check the crowds, searching for any possible saboteur. We start to head away to a nearby speeder, and Master Kenobi talks to a guard.

"I want to interview everyone here. No one leaves this scene," he orders

As soon as Master Kenobi said that however, a man grows panicked and starts to run away, which I notice immediately.

"Hey you there! Stop!" I call out, immediately running after the man.

This catches Master Kenobi's attention and on seeing the running man, he gives chase as well. The man started running around the shrine, occasionally pushing people out of his way. He heads down the steps beneath the shrine, and I follow him quickly. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I notice him looking around in a panic, finding himself with no where else to go.

"Please, we just want to talk!" I tell him, stopping at the doorway.

Apparently he doesn't want to talk, because he immediately draws a blaster and starts firing yellow colored bolts at me. I dodge the first shot and pull out my lightsaber, deflecting the shots away. With a well aimed re-deflection, I manage to knock the man's blaster away as Master Kenobi skids onto the balcony. Seeing his weapon lost, the man charges at me, expecting me to be the weaker one. However I spin around the man, knocking him off of his feet with a small Force push.

"We don't want to hurt you," Master Kenobi says placatingly. Duchess Satine then appears in the entryway, looking at the scene.

"Stay back!" Master Kenobi orders her.

The man then does something unexpected, and runs to the balcony railing, getting on it before turning to us, arms held out.

"Calhava bru'chun, Dralshye'ran!" he cries out. He then leans backwards and falls off the building to his death.

"What the- what?!" I exclaim in shock as we rush over to the railing.

The man hits the glass floor beneath us with a sickening crack, and the crowd surrounding the area gasp in shock. Duchess Satine holds a hand to her mouth in horror, before rushing to the lifts. We follow her to the lower level, where she rushes to the side of the fallen man who now weakly stares at us.

"Se solu, se kad, se Darasuum kote," he says weakly.

"What is he saying," Master Kenobi asks. I gently nudge him in irritation, and he quickly understands that this is probably a more personal moment.

"Kadi, se norm'iim," he continues to say.

"Ki, kadi norm'iim," Satine responds to him quietly.

Whatever she said seemed to do the trick, as the man gave one last look to the sky before his head fell back with his eyes closed, and he died. Still not used to heavy cases of death I close my eyes for a moment before attempting to release my sorrow into the Force.

"He was speaking in the dialect they use on Concordia, our moon," Duchess Satine tells us.

"I shall like to visit this moon of yours. Perhaps we can accompany the body," Master Kenobi suggests.

Satine shakes her head. "The Concordian moon is a province with its own governor. You'll need me to escort you."

"That won't be necessary," Master Kenobi tries to say.

"Actually it will. You won't make much progress without me there, especially since you've been involved in the death of a Concordian." Duchess Satine tells us firmly.

"We didn't kill him!" Master Kenobi tries to say.

"I know. That's why I'm still talking to you," she says with a glare to Obi-Wan, before walking away. Master Kenobi looks worried.

"Well, that sucked," I say, thinking of the only thing to comment about our situation.

"Yes, it did. This just went from a simple truth confirmation to a bombing investigation, maybe worse." Master Kenobi says gravely.

* * *

After a little bit, we managed to take a small shuttle with the Duchess and a few of her guards up to Concordia, where we would start our investigation of the place. Satine came out dressed in more casual wear instead of the fine blue gown from before. On our way over we took a good look at the moon, which was littered with brown and a little bit of green.

Master Kenobi frowns. "I thought Concordia was an agricultural settlement."

"Before the end of our wars, they turned it into a mining base. The sheer number of mining facilities here nearly destroyed our forests. They're finally growing back," Satine informs us.

The landscape was certainly quite pretty, green from the newer forests surrounding the bright city that we were headed to. The shuttle landed in the hanger where we were greeted by an official looking person escorted by two guards. We exited and the official greeted us.

"Duchess Satine, you are most welcome," he says charmingly

"Thank you, Governor Vizsla. May I present Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, representing the Jedi Council and his Padawan learner. Governor Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of. He has been working to find the members of the Death Watch," Duchess Satine introduces us.

The Governor wastes no time in getting down to business.

"I take it you've heard the rumours about Satine, about how she's supposedly leading Mandalore into an alliance with the Separatists," Governor Vizsla says with a small amount of displeasure.

"Our only instructions are to seek the truth," Master Kenobi assures him.

The Governor looks to the coffin containing the man who bombed the shrine.

"This was the man who bombed the memorial shrine?" he asks as the coffin was escorted past them.

Master Kenobi nods "Yes. He was apparently part of Death Watch."

"A worrisome prospect. If you'll pardon me, General, we must attend to the body," Governor Vizsla says, walking off to follow the coffin, along with his guards.

Me and Duchess Satine were about to follow after them when Master Kenobi stopped us.

"I need a favor from you two. Please keep Governor Vizsla occupied at dinner," Master Kenobi tells us. I raise a brow at him in confusion.

"Say what?" I ask.

Satine stares at him. "Where are you going?"

"I'd like to see one of these mining facilities for myself," Master Kenobi says with a small grin. I roll my eyes and cross my arms.

"Oh this will be good." I mutter.

"You mean you want to determine if they're still operational?" Satine asks him with a stare.

"I hope to determine they're not. I want you to wear this earpiece so that we can stay in contact, In case you run into trouble while I'm gone," Master Kenobi says, handing the equipment to Satine.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you Master?" I ask him. "I could be very useful if you can't get through a locked door."

"That won't be necessary Jarik. Besides, having two Jedi running around here could cause some suspicion. Stay here and protect the Duchess incase the Death Watch or any others attempt to harm her," Master Kenobi tells me, getting on a small speeder.

"Alright Master, if you say so."

"Remember that you are here under my protection. Please try not to cause problems where none yet exist," Duchess Satine calls out to him.

"Think of me as searching for solutions," Master Kenobi responds with a grin.

"That's a weak line Master and you know it," I tell him, shaking my head.

He grins. "Well I've certainly had better that's for sure."

"I have to tell you I'm opposed to all of this," Satine exclaims as Master Kenobi starts up the speeder.

"I'd be disappointed if you weren't," Master Kenobi says, rushing out of the hanger. What a troll.

"I'd feel a lot better if you had went with him," Duchess Satine tells me. I shrug in response.

"Well, while he seems to get into trouble a lot, he is right about two Jedi running around as being suspicious. I would be as well." I tell her.

* * *

Later in the evening, me and Duchess Satine headed over to the dining room, where Governor Vizsla was standing near the window with a holopad in his hands. While I had to worry a little about Master Kenobi, he's been in worse situations before. Honestly, I've been in even worse than this as well.

"Forgive me Duchess. I'm writing a condolence letter to the dead man's family, and making arrangements for them to retrieve his body," Governor Vizsla told us.

"Of course Governor, very proper. General Kenobi will be joining us shortly. He said he needed to, meditate," she responded, using the meditating excuse I told her to give.

"You didn't join him Padawan...?" he started to say, not knowing my name.

"Shan. Padawan Jarik Shan Governor. It's a pleasure to meet you," I tell him respectfully.

To my surprise, the Governor goes stiff before he drops his data pad. It clatters to the ground and he stands there before quickly going to retrieve it.

"Are you alright Governor?" I ask him.

"My apologies Padawan Shan. Just a, slight shock from the data pad, that's all," Vizsla reassures us.

However I don't feel the same way. From what I can tell the data pad was just fine, and I thought I sensed some feelings of surprise and anger from him before he dropped it. I didn't comment, as there could be a simple explanation, yet I'm a little bit suspicious of him now.

* * *

It was later in the evening, and yet there was still no sign or contact from Master Kenobi, which started to get me worried. To make matters worse, I could sense that the Governor was feeling a little curious at this as well, but ignored it for now, much to my relief. It didn't help that Satine was nervous, having never been one for lying before.

"Someone is feeding misinformation to the Republic Senate, saying that Death Watch is taking over Mandalore. Who stands to gain from these lies?" Satine asks.

"Death Watch, of course," the Governor responds calmly.

"But why target me?" Satine asks in confusion.

"You lead the Council of Neutral Systems, thus, you threaten the Separatist goals," Governor Vizsla explains. "Take it as a compliment Duchess. Someone very powerful is working towards your downfall."

I raise a brow at his calm demeanor while he talks. He might just be downplaying it to make the situation less worrisome for the Duchess, I'm not entirely sure. The whole situation seems suspicious to me.

"General Kenobi's meditation is taking a rather long time," Vizsla remarks.

There's the million credit question.

"You know the Jedi. They never do anything by halves," Satine says, albeit nervously.

"It's not uncommon for some Jedi meditations to go on for longer periods of time Governor. Sometimes they can last for an hour or more," I reassure him. "I'm not one for meditations though," I admit.

I then notice Satine move her hand slowly up to her ear, pretending to rub her neck. Master Kenobi is probably contacting her then.

"May I offer the both of you a drink?" Vizsla offers.

"Yes, certainly," Satine says.

Governor Vizla then walked over to the fridge to prepare a few more drinks for the rest of us. After a few moments he turns back around.

"Apologies. We're out of ice," Vizsla tells us.

"Sorry, to hear that," Satine says slowly. I supress the urge to smack my hand against my forehead in exasperation. This was such a ridiculous situation.

"Perhaps we should begin dinner, without General Kenobi," Governor Vizsla says. This just took a wrong turn.

"I don't know if I can do that at the moment," Satine says hesitantly.

I can only imagine what Master Kenobi's response would be. Vizsla apparently picked up on Satine's hesitation.

"Are you not feeling well Duchess?" he asks, sounding concern, although to me it seemed fake.

"Perhaps some fresh air will do me some good," Satine says, and I take that as the 'Obi-Wan is in trouble cue.'

"Shall I escort you outside?" The Governor offers.

"No thank you Governor. I think Padawan Shan will be a decent escort for me," she says. I get up as well to follow her.

"Of course Duchess," I say respectfully. We both leave the dining room and once there's nobody in sight, we break off into a quick run for the hanger.

"I wonder what trouble Master Kenobi is in now?" I question out loud.

"He certainly hasn't changed thats for sure!" Satine tells me.

* * *

Once we arrive at the mine where Master Kenobi had stopped at, we get off our speeders and notice that the one Obi-Wan took is still waiting by the entrance.

"Abandoned transport. Such a good sign," I say sarcastically as Satine opens up her com-link.

"Where exactly are you?" she asks.

 _"Listen for the loud metallic clanging sound. That'll be the machine thats about to smash me into bits!"_ I hear Master Kenobi exclaim. I raise my eyebrow in surprise.

"Well that's a new one," I mutter thoughtfully.

"Yep, I definitely can hear it Master!" I say loudly into the comlink, annoying him even further.

I look at the mine entrance and notice a small control panel. I look at it for a moment before pressing a few buttons, activating an alarm.

"Distraction 101 is in motion," I tell Satine with a smirk.

We move inside the mining facility quickly, and crouch along the other side of the tracks as two Mandalorians run past us to check out the disturbance. We quickly made our way into the room, where I searched for the controls to stop the conveyor belt. If it wasn't a life or death situation I would have laughed at the position Master Kenobi was in.

"Well it certainly took you long enough!" he exclaims in irritation at us.

"You know, we haven't saved you yet!" Satine tells him.

I take the moment to add in a small jab at him while I look over the control console. "Just be glad I'm not laughing at you right now Master!"

"Oh that is so reassuring!" he says sarcastically.

Master Kenobi starts to move closer to the crushing blocks as I start hitting a few buttons.

"Anytime Jarik!" Master Kenobi yells.

"I've almost got it, hold on!" I reply.

"Jarik! Turn it off!" Master Kenobi yells, about to be crushed.

I finally hit the final button and the crusher stops moving, allowing him to pass by unscathed. We all sigh in relief before moving on to the next control board that was linked to the grinder. How pleasant. Before I could get closer too it, someone grabbed me from behind and turned me around, punching me in the face and knocking me to the ground.

"Ahh! What the heck?!" I exclaim wth a grunt of pain.

One Mandalorian advances on me, while another goes for Satine. The Mandalorian tries to punch my face again, but I roll out of the way before leaping up, pulling out my lightsaber. He responds by shooting lasers at me with his blaster, which I deflect. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Satine kick a barrel into the grinder while being restrained by the warrior, allowing Master Kenobi to leap out of harms way just in time.

I turn my attention back towards the Mandalorian, and quickly run up to him before kicking his helmet, sending him to the floor unconscious beside the one Master Kenobi knocked down.

"Any second sooner and I would have been dead," Master Kenobi says. I roll my eyes in exasperation.

"Your welcome," I say, leading the way back to the lifts. Once we enter, Satine starts up a conversation again.

"For a man sworn to peace, you take an unseemly pleasure in the injuries of others," Satine says.

"For a woman sworn to nonviolence, you didn't seem concerned that I could've been killed back there!" Master Kenobi shoots back. I sigh at the already common argument between them.

"But you weren't, and I still haven't heard my thanks," Satine says.

"Well you certainly haven't changed," Master Kenobi remarks.

"Duchess, Master, you're both pretty. Can we go home now?" I ask the two, interrupting their bickering.

Before they can respond, the door opens to reveal another Mandalorian warrior. He doesn't have any time to react before Master Kenobi delivers a quick series of punches to his helmet, knocking him unconscious.

"This is not the way we came in," Master Kenobi states in alarm.

Apparently, just to our very luck we appeared in the center of the Death Watch camp, and they noticed us as well. Wonderful. Master Kenobi attempted to get the lift to head back into the mines but it wasn't working. Death Watch started to fire at us, forcing us away from the elevator and destroying it in the process. We took cover behind a pile of rocks.

"Well, so much for going that way," I remark, getting up and activating my lightsaber, deflecting the shots aimed for us.

"We'll have to stand and fight," Obi-Wan said before smirking. "But in your case just stand."

Satine glared at him as Master Kenobi went to grab his lightsaber, before realizing it was wasn't there.

"Missing something Master?" I ask, deflecting another shot.

"Blast it! Jarik, Cover me." Master Kenobi orders, and I nod in understanding.

He grabs the downed Death Watch troopers gun and uses it to fire back at the other warriors. He shoots down one before throwing the warrior's jetpack at the flyers, shooting it to create an explosion and a cloud of smoke. I pause for a moment.

"Uncivilized huh Master?" I ask with a grin.

Before he can respond, one of the warriors charges through the smoke with a battle cry, knocking Master Kenobi to the ground. As he aimed at him, Satine suddenly got his attention.

"Hey you!" she exclaimed, throwing a rock at his helmet, which knocked his head back a little. He growled and started firing at the Duchess, so I stood in front of her and deflected the shots. Master Kenobi then knocked the warriors legs out from under him and knocked him away. We both ran towards Satine's hiding place.

"Satine!" Master Kenobi exclaimed in worry.

"I'm fine Obi-Wan," she reassured him.

We then noticed who seemed to be the apparent leader striding over to us, with three others in tow. He takes one glance at the Mandalorian we just defeated and shot him without a care. What a jerk. I notice Master Kenobi's lightsaber on his belt, and Obi-Wan does as well. When the leader stops, he takes his helmet off to reveal Governor Vizsla.

"Governor?!" Satine asks in surprise. I roll my eyes.

"What a shock," I mutter.

"For generations my ancestors fought proudly as warriors against the Jedi. Now that woman tarnishes the very name Mandalorian," Vizsla says proudly, although hatefully at the end. He then glares at me with rage. "And then you... Jarik Shan, I will make sure you die at my hands today! You're a menace to our people!"

The amount of hatred he has directed at me is leaving me stunned. Like, what?

"Geez, what crawled up his armor and died," I mutter before replying to him.

"Yeah, I don't know you, that's harsh, and I don't like you so I don't care," I say nonchalantly.

Vizsla glares at me again before throwing Master Kenobi his lightsaber, who promptly ignites it, striking his signature pose. Vizsla then pulls a saber hilt from his back and activates it, revealing a creepy black blade that hums with a strange whistling sound.

"This lightsaber was taken from your Jedi Temple, by my ancestors during the fall of the Old Republic. Since then many Jedi have fallen upon its blade. Prepare yourself to join them!" Vizsla exclaims.

"Jarik, stay with the duchess. Keep her safe." Master Kenobi orders me. I nod and move to stand by her.

Vizsla charges forward with a battle cry, and Master Kenobi blocks his attack, striking back with a few of his own. For a non-force wielding combatant with a lightsaber, I have to admit that I'm a little impressed that Vizsla can handle a saber as well as he can. Of course he's by no means a match for Obi-Wan, who easily force pushes him away.

His troops catch him and he shrugs them off, charging at Obi-Wan with a twirl again. Master Kenobi dodges and knees him in the chest, causing Vizsla to stumble, and then kicks the Dark Saber away. Vizsla responds with a series of kicks and punches that knock Master Kenobi back, allowing Vizsla to reclaim his lightsaber.

"Master!" I exclaim in worry, rushing out in front of him. Upon my arrival, Vizsla's eyes flash angrily.

"You, you're dead!" Vizsla says angrily, charging my way.

I dodge his few strikes and then retaliate with a few simple attacks of my own. Vizsla manages to block them however, and so I switch to a more Ataru form of combat, and quickly leap over Vizsla, kicking his leg before moving to force push him back over to his warriors, where he lands on his back. Master Kenobi joins me as Vizsla angrily looks at us, knowing he can't take on two Jedi at once.

"Warriors finish them!" he orders, and the Mandalorians comply, moving forward and preparing their booster rockets. They fire at us, and Obi-Wan and I manage to evade them, however the rocks turn around, tracking us.

"Satine!" Master Kenobi exclaims, and we run back to the mine entrance, where we all jump down the shaft. The missiles explode just above us, and we tumble to the ground in a mess of debris.

I cough and then slowly look up.

"All things considered, I'd say this was successful," I say with a grin.

*:*:*

"I suppose we're even now," Satine told Obi-Wan as we headed out of the original mine entrance.

"How so?" he asks her in confusion.

"I saved your life, you both saved mine," she responded.

"Huh. I'm still expecting a thank you Master," I say with a grin. He rolls his eyes and finally says it.

"Thank you Jarik."

"You're welcome."

* * *

The next day back on Mandalore, we were all heading towards the ship the Coronet, where Anakin and a squad of clones are waiting, as well as R5 and R2.

"But if Pre Vizsla fled, we have no way of knowing how widespread the Death Watch movement really is," Tal Merrik said.

"It's obvious the Separatists are supporting the Death Watch," Master Kenobi states.

Duchess Satine looks appalled by the idea. "I disagree. I told you I wanted to stay out of this conflict."

Master Kenobi shakes his head. "Given the current situation, I'm afraid that may no longer be possible," he tells her gravely.

"I thought you of all people would understand my position on this matter. I will never be a part of this war," Satine says angrily, storming off to her ship with Senator Merrik and her guards. Master Kenobi sighs.

"Well that went well," I manage to say.

Anakin then walks up with Cody, Rex, and a small squad of clones for escort duty on the voyage to Coruscant.

"Reporting for escort duty, General," Master Skywalker says, standing at attention. I raise a brow at his behavior.

"Oh, Anakin. Am I glad to see you," Master Kenobi says in relief.

Anakin notices instantly.

"You sound tired," he says.

"The peaceful ways of the locals wore me out a bit," Master Kenobi tells him.

Anakin eyes him with a skeptical stare.

"Uh huh," he says before turning to me. "Alright Jarik, what happened here?"

"Well, its kind of hard to explain... but I think Master Kenobi have been in a relationship with the Duchess," I whisper to him, my hand up to my face sneakily.

Anakin stares at me in shock before looking to Obi-Wan with a mischievous grin. Currently Master Kenobi is staring at me in surprise.

"Is that true Master?" Anakin asks with a devilish grin. Master Kenobi immediately gets defensive.

"No it is not! We just, knew each other a long time ago that's all," he says, looking away from us.

Me and Master Skywalker shoot each other knowing grins as we walk towards the Coronet. Oh we are never going to let him live this down, especially once Ahsoka knows.


	10. Chapter 9 - Voyage of Temptation

Right now me, Master Kenobi and Anakin were in the cargo hold of the Coronet with a small squad of clones. Due to the nature of the Death Watch and the influence they could possibly hold, Death Qatch could be affiliated with the Separatists, hence the clone protection.

"You know your marching orders. The safety of the Duchess Satine is of the utmost importance. The Death Watch will stop at nothing to assassinate her before she pleads her case to the Senate." Master Kenobi tells them.

Master Skywalker steps forward too. "The Death Watch may be backed by the Separatists, so stay sharp." He then turns to R2 and R5. "R2, use your scanners to probe for any suspicious droid activity." Anakin says, and R2 beeps at him.

"You too R5." I tell my droid as well. He beeps confidently at me.

"Anything else, sir?" Captain Rex asks us.

Master Kenobi shakes his head. "No, that will be all."

With nothing else to say, the men started spreading out to search the Cargo Hold for any potential intruders or suspicious activity, led by R2 and R5, who seemed to be in a competition with each other. Master Kenobi's comlink then goes off, and he answers.

"Yes?"

"The Duchess and her retinue requests your presence." A guard informs him.

"Very well." Master Kenobi replies.

The three of us board the elevator along with Cody and Rex, and head upstairs. Anakin and I both sense something off about Master Kenobi, and I start to grin.

"I sense some anxiety from you about the Duchess. She couldn't be in safer hands." Anakin reassures him. He stiffly nods back.

"Yes, I know." Master Kenobi says.

"Then why-" Anakin starts to say, before he's quickly cut off by Master Kenobi.

"Never mind. It's all in the past," he says

Anakin then looks at him in surprise before smiling a little, shooting me a look. "Oh, so you're close to her?" he asks with a smirk.

"I knew her. A long time ago." Master Kenobi says, giving Anakin an irritated look. I snicker a little, and Master Kenobi stares at me as well.

I get Anakin's attention and he leans over to me. "If you must know, I think they had some sort of romance," I tell him with a smirk. "He called her beautiful," I whisper quietly. Anakin smirks back.

"Never heard of that before," he tells me.

Once the lift stopped, we got out and entered the brightly colored and fancy hallway. Anakin turned to Cody and Rex after we stepped out.

"You two return below. Contact us if you need anything." Anakin orders.

"Will do, sir." Cody said as the lift closed.

* * *

We walked closer to the room where the gathered Senators and Duchess were meeting, some of them with food. Once again, I hate politics so I didn't really want to be here, but if Master Kenobi and Duchess started bickering, it would be so worth it. The Senators were all discussing their views on warfare when we walked in.

"And yet some might argue that the strongest defence is a swift and decisive offense." Master Kenobi said, gaining everyone's attention. Duchess Satine gives Master Kenobi a look and I get Anakin's attention.

"Oh, here we go," I whisper to him.

"You are quite the General now, aren't you, Master Kenobi?" Saltine asks him.

"Forgive me for interrupting, your highness. I meant no disrespect." Master Kenobi responds politely, offering a small bow.

Satine stares at him disbelievingly "Really? Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

The Senators all look at us and I'm half nervous by the attention and also amused by the words used to describe Obi-Wan. All the while Anakin has a small grin on his face as he watches the interaction.

"Your highness is too kind." Master Kenobi says slowly, eyeing her.

"You're right. I am." Satine quickly agrees, earning a quiet laugh from me, which thankfully only Anakin notices.

"Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi Anakin Skywalker." Master Kenobi says, gesturing to Anakin and trying to get some of the attention off of him.

"Your servant, my lady." Anakin says, stepping forward and bowing to her.

"And for those, that may not know my Padawan Jarik Shan." Master Kenobi says.

I takes most of my Jedi training to remain composed. "A pleasure to meet you Senators," I say respectfully, offering a small bow.

"I remember a time when Jedi were not Generals, but peacekeepers." Satine says, quickly bringing the conversation back to what it was before.

"We are protectors highness. Yours, at the moment. We fight for peace." Anakin responds.

"What an amusing contradiction." Satine says, obviously having a different view of how it should work.

"What Master Skywalker means is that we are acting at the behest of your highness to protect you from the Death Watch and the Separatists who don't share your neutral point of view." Master Kenobi says.

"I asked for no such thing." Satine replies, waving her hand.

"That may be so, but a majority of your court did." Master Kenobi tells her.

"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses." Satine retorts.

Master Kenobi is just as responsive. "I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities."

Me and Anakin shoot each other amused grins, and I know he won't let Master Kenobi live his down for a long time.

The Ryloth Senator, Orn Free Taa I believe, intervenes in the conversation. "I am certain we all agree. Duchess Satine and General Kenobi have a proven there are two sides to every dilemma."

"Indeed." Senator Merrik agrees.

"Now, in regard to the Senate vote, we think…" Senator Taa starts to say, before Satine interrupts again.

"I think a multitude makes discord, not good counsel." She says.

"Right again, my lady." Senator Taa says, a little exasperated.

Master Kenobi then walks back over to us, showing obvious aggravation. "There may be two sides to every dilemma, but the Duchess only favours hers," he tells us silently.

"Well... to be fair Master, that's kind of the same with us. The Separatist think us Republics are corrupt, and we think the same about them. So that's a little bit hypocritical to say." I point out with a shrug.

"He has a good point Obi-Wan," Anakin says in agreement.

"That may be so, but in this case, the Duchess has to realise that Death Watch nor will the Separatists allow her to stand in the way of winning the dilemma." Master Kenob responds before walking towards the Duchess.

* * *

Later on, we were still in the dining room, me and Anakin hanging back for most of it, as points of view continued to clash. A droid comes over with a tray of drinks, and Anakin takes one while I select one that isn't alcoholic. Thankfully it's just some juice. It's actually rather sweet.

"You like your drink Master?" I ask Anakin casually. He takes a sip before shrugging. "It's alright," he finally says. "This is very entertaining."

I look over to where Master Kenobi is clashing points of view with Satine and nod in agreement.

"Yeah. I think it's even worse than when we were on Mandalore." I observe.

"A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists." Master Kenobi says.

"Even extremists can be reasoned with." The Duchess argues as she stands up.

"Aren't they called extremists for the reason you can't negotiate with them?" I whisper to Anakin. He shakes his head with a grin.

"Just sit back and watch the show, Padawan." Anakin tells me, taking another sip of his drink. I shrug in response.

"Perhaps, if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids." Master Kenobi responds, as he two march closer to each other.

"Ha, the sarcasm of a soldier." Satine says.

"The delusion of a dreamer." Master Kenobi retorts, and they glare each other, nearly face to face.

Anakin was holding his drink and smirking at the pair while the two of us watched on. I continued to sip my juicy beverage as if nothing was wrong, mentally laughing like crazy inside. After all it wouldn't be proper to laugh in front of all these Senators. Blahhg.

Senator Merrik decides to take the opportunity to interrupt before things could escalate any further. "Duchess, Master Jedi, It's been a long trip. I think we could all use a little rest and refreshment."

They barely react.

"Hear, hear. Now let us put politics aside until after dinner." Senator Taa exclaims in false delight, trying to move the conversation along. I think he also just wanted to eat more.

"Fine!" The two said angrily, before the Duchess shoved Obi-Wan aside and started walking to the door, leaving the dining room.

Everyone watched as she left, not knowing what to say and Master Kenobi walked back to us. I was about to say something when Master Kenobi shot me a glare, a glare which immediately shut me up. Anakin shakes his head in amusement as we left the room.

* * *

The three of us were walking down the halls, at the moment not really having anything to do right now.

"You and Satine have a history." Anakin says.

Master Kenobi nods. "We do indeed."

"And I think, that I want to know that history Master!" I say cheerfully. Master Kenobi looks at me hesitantly, and I perform my best innocent look before he sighs and gives in.

"An extended mission when I was younger. Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore protecting the Duchess from insurgents who had threatened her world." Master Kenobi tells us.

We then enter the lift as he continues with his tale.

"They sent bounty hunters after us. We were always on the run, living hand to mouth, never sure what the next day would bring."

"Sounds romantic." Anakin remarks.

I burst out into small laughter at the look Master Kenobi shoots Anakin, and he sighs before continuing to talk.

"A civil war killed most of Satine's people, hence her aversion to violence. When she returned, she took on the difficult task of rebuilding her world alone." Master Kenobi says as we exit the lift into another room.

"You didn't stay to help her?" Anakin asks.

"That would have been problematic. My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere." Master Kenobi informs us. We enter the small temporary living quarters were given and I sat myself on the bed while Anakin stood up, Master Kenobi sitting in a chair.

"Demanded? But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision." Anakin asks curiously and in some confusion.

Master Kenobi nods. "Oh, it did. I live by the Jedi code."

"Of course. As Master Yoda says, 'a Jedi must not form attachments.'" Anakin says, sounding a little irritated at that. Honestly I had to wonder what the deal was with attachments as well. We're supposed to be compassionate and caring, but if we don't have a bond with people, then what are we fighting or protecting people for? I know we keep the peace in the Republic, yet I've always had a natural feeling that having no emotions/attachments isn't right. Call me crazy.

"Yes. But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse." Master Kenobi says glumly.

Master Kenobi's comlink started beeping, and he answered it. "Yes Captain?"

Rex's voice came on the line. _"General, something's wrong with Skywalker and Commander Shan's astromechs. Scared him real good sir. I also lost contact with two of my men,"_ he reported. Well that didn't sound good.

"I'm on my way down to assist you." Master Kenobi said, standing up to leave.

Anakin then stops him. "I'll go, Master. If there's something dangerous down there, the clones and I can handle it," he says. I look at them both. "Could I go as well? I'd like to see what's bothering R5," I tell them.

Master Kenobi sighs but nods in agreement. "Very well you two."

* * *

Once me and Master Skywalker made it to the cargo hold, we walked out to see the clones all gathered. R2 and R5 were standing closer together, moving their heads around almost fearfully.

"Alright men what's that problem, we're missing dinner." Anakin says, trying to lift the mood with a joke.

"We're not sure yet sure" Cody tells us. "There's still no sign of Mixer and Redeye."

Anakin then looks at the two droids. "What's the matter you two?" he asks them. R2 beeps frantically, shaking on his treads slightly. "I know, I know, but I'm here now." Anakin reassures him. "Use your scanners, see if somethings out of place."

R5 then beeps at me quickly. I look at him in confusion. "A creepy... monster with red eyes?" I ask slowly. R5 beeps in confirmation, very loudly I might say. "Alright, well come along then. Scan for anything out of the ordinary."

We all head off, following R2 and R5 as they move around the dark cargo hold with their scanners out of their domes. R5 was quickly moving his head around, almost as if he was expecting something to jump at him, so I walk beside him to calm him down. Soon enough, we come to an area that has a large box, lying open and empty on its side. Not a good sign.

"Well, what have we here?" Rex asks aloud. "Looks like the contents of this box are missing."

Anakin frowns in worry. "Or got up and walked away."

"Well that's a comforting thought. So.. monster?" I ask R5, who beeps a yes. "Monster. Wonderful." I say with a sigh.

"Alright, fan out men. Separate squads. I'll contact Obi-Wan." Anakin tells the men. The clones all split up into two groups, making sure that nobody is alone while Anakin pulls out his comlink.

 _"Anakin, Jarik, what have you found?"_ Master Kenobi asks us.

"There's a large open container and the contents are missing. And I still have two men unaccounted for." Anakin tells him.

 _"That's not good. Keep things quiet and I'll stay with the Senators."_

"Got it," Anakin says, disconnecting the transmission. R2 then rolls over down an isle stacked with crates, and R5 follows him. "What's up, did you find something?" Anakin asks.

"Hopefully nothing, horrible." I say, following after them. Honestly, these isles full of crates in the dark was absolutely creepy. I could understand why R5 was going all crazy earlier. We then stopped upon noticing a clone walk forward into a patch of light, although very weirdly.

"There you are." Anakin says in relief. "Redeye where've you been you had us... all worried.." Anakin falters when speaking however, as we both notice the weird way that Redyeye was moving, and he was still encased in shadow.

"Oh... that is freaky." I mutter, pulling out my lightsaber, thought not igniting it yet. "I swear if these is another Geonosian ship infestation I am bailing!" I whisper harshly to Anakin. He glares at me for a moment before talking again. "Redeye?" he asks.

Some weird, creepy droid legs start to get revealed and I activate my lightsaber, Anakin following suit.

"Definitely not Redeye Master!" I exclaim. Seeing that we now know, the droid lifts Redeye's body and throws him at us. We manage to dodge out of the way as Redeye's corpse slams into the boxes behind us. The poor guy.

The Assassin probe is now revealed, being some weird, creepy spider looking thing with numerous red eyes that seem to glare at us. "Oh, that is terrifying!" I manage to say. The droid screeches and charges at us, and I leap out of the way while Anakin slices two of its legs off. The droid rams into a few boxes before picking them up and throwing two crates at us.

I slice one box in half and we dodge the other when the droid hits us both with its legs, knocking us to the ground. I groan in pain fro the hit and look up to see the droid advancing on us. Before it can do anything however, the clones come back and start shooting at it, knocking the droid back and destroying it. I sigh in relief as we get up, before another droid catches my attention.

"Master! The lift!" I shout, pointing to the droid as it pried open the doors. Me and Anakin ran towards the lift, the clones following but it was too late for us to do anything about it.

"Obi-Wan, there's assassin probes down here! One made it up the lifts, we'll try to hold the others down here." Master Skywalker informs Master Kenobi on the comlink.

"Think there's any more of them?" I ask Anakin. He nods in agreement. "Most likely. Let's spread out and find it," he tells the men. Suddenly Cody looks at something behind us. "Watch it!" he exclaims.

I turn around to see a bunch of little probe babies hopping out of the droids head and start crawling towards us. We activate our lightsabers and the clones start firing at the probes. These little devils are fast! But I'm faster than them, slicing the probes out of the air as they launch themselves at us.

"They're everywhere!" Rex exclaims, shooting all around him.

"Get behind us!" Anakin orders, slicing a few probes out of the air as well. Unfortunately, one of the clones can't get away in time, and the little droids all start to swarm him, crawling into his armor. R2 and R5 stroll forward, using their electric shockers to zap all of the probes on the ground, hitting handfuls at a time. Eventually, all of the probes are taken care of and I deactivate my lightsaber.

"Those things are terrible." I say in irritation, looking sadly at the clone who got swarmed by all of the probes. I didn't want to know what they did under his armor, or to his face.

"Good work men," Master Skywalker tells the clones. "You too buddy," he tells R2.

"Yeah, nice zapper there R5." I tell my droid.

"Assassin droids?" How did that monster end up in the hold?" Rex asks in bewilderment.

"Question is, who smuggled him on board?" Anakin says, looking around. That's a good question. We look around before spotting a protocol droid, and Master Skywalker heads over it, leaning against a crate. The rest of us follow.

"I'm looking for the droid that services the cargo bay?" Anakin asks.

"Uh, yes sir," it replies. standing up. "Are all those creatures, dead?" It asks us.

"That's what I'm trying to find out! You're in charge of the cargo manifest right?" Master Skywalker asks in aggravation.

"Uh, yes. I have it right here," it replies, coming over with a datapad. "Well where did they come from?" Anakin asks.

"It is right here, on the manifest." The droid says, giving Anakin the datapad. He skims over it, muttering different things before looking up. "There's no name on this chart! There is no indication of who shipped it." Anakin exclaims. I roll my eyes. Typical.

"No sir. Just the Senate stamp. Always accepted for transport here, aboard the Coronet." The droid tells us. I widen my eyes in surprise. "So, a Senator brought this hunk of junk on board?" I ask Anakin in surprise. "It seems so," he mutters.

* * *

After exiting the cargo hold, we headed over to the dining room, where Master Kenobi was waiting. Anakin handed him the datapad, and Master Kenobi read it, his eyes narrowing at the information.

"One of our four distinguished Senators appears to be a traitor." Master Skywalker says.

Master Kenobi looks back at the gathered Senators. "I sense it too."

"How are we going to figure out who?" I ask them. We then notice one of the small probe droids still scuttling around, trying to hide. "Well that's convenient." I remark.

"It looks like one of our little visitors is still alive. I have an idea how to expose the turncoat. Return to the hull of the ship. Destroy the last assassin droids. Jarik and I will find out which of the Senators is the traitor." Master Kenobi orders.

Anakin nodded before heading back to the lower decks of the ship, and I used the force to pick up the little droid and hold it between my fingers. I tries to swipe at me with its little legs, but I keep it from doing anything.

"You think can uncover anything from it?" Master Kenobi asks me. I frown and grab a small metal screwdriver from my pocket, and look at the droid's backside. There I see a small panel, and I open it, the droid struggling all the while. Once I remove the outer panel, it goes limp in my hand, and I examine the small wires.

"Oh yeah. This should be a peace of cake." I tell him with a grin.

* * *

"Here, you can hold the little critter's cage," Master Kenobi says, handing me the plate and covering the lid with a cloth. I make a face at him. "And why am I holding it?" I ask him.

"I thought you might like to be the one to present your fine meal to the Senators," he quips. I roll my eyes and head over the the now cleaned up table with the "food."

"Ah! Dessert, excellent!" Senator Taa says gleefully.

"This morsel might prove too much even for the legendary appetite of Orn Free Taa." Master Kenobi tells him with a grin. I take that as my cue to uncover the cloth, revealing the little probe attempting to escape. The moment it saw the Senator's it went crazy.

"Enjoy!" I say cheerfully. On second thought, I rather liked being the one to hold this tray. It allowed me to terrorize the politicians, which I do not like. I hate politics. Best plan ever.

Senator Taa yelps in fright, looking at us nervously. "On second thought, it wouldn't agree with me," he hastily agrees.

"My Padawan here took the liberty of wiring the probe to be hostile to the Duchess and those who defend her, except for the one who programmed it." Master Kenobi explains. Unfortunately the probe was to simple in its programming to let me know who did it, but it would recognize its Master, so I fiddled with it to make sure it would calm down at the sight of who programmed it.

"Take it away! Please!" Senator Taa exclaims, hiding his face fearfully. Definitely not him thats for sure. Honestly.

I begin to circle the table, getting fairly close to all the Senators with the droid, to see how it would react. Secretly I enjoyed the harmless prank, well harmless to everyone except the traitor that is.

"Obi-Wan, this line of questioning borders on torture!" Satine exclaims angrily.

"Oh, I assure our pacifist duchess that all is under control. We are trying to expose a bigger threat." Master Kenobi says, walking with me, arms behind his back while he studies the droid. Interesting, the droid displays unusual hostility toward the honorable Kin Robb." Master Kenobi said. I nodded at that. "Definitely not these two." I gestured to the two Senators next to us. I circled around the Duchess, and it obviously went insane at the sight of her. But once I got to her Senator... well what do you know.

Master Kenobi notices as well. "But it seems to like you, Senator Merrik." He says, sending a grin in his direction. "Well, Prince?" Master Kenobi asks him.

"I hope you don't hate me as much as the ex-Governor." I remark with a charming smile in Merrik's direction.

"Really, General Kenobi," Merrik says sarcastically. "You're quite clever!" He suddenly smacks the tray out of my hands, letting the probe free. It scuttles across the table for Satine, and Master Kenobi manages to hit it with a pan. The probe flies across the room, landing on the protocol droid which gets electrocuted by the probe. It then jumps through the air towards Senator Farr, however I manage to slice it in half before it gets there with my lightsaber.

During our distraction, Tal Merrik managed to grab the Duchess in a headlock, pointing a blaster at her head.

(Tal Merrik) "You're coming with me." Merrik said as he took the Duchess and left the room.

* * *

Following that fiasco, Master Kenobi and I quickly exited the dining room and ran through the ship in search of the Duchess.

"Anakin, Tal Merrik is the traitor, and he's taken Satine hostage." Master Kenobi says through his wrist com.

 _"Copy that, but I've got problems of my own right now."_ Master Skywalker's irritated voice replies quietly through the com.

We continued to run through the hallways. Eventually we met up with Anakin at the other end.

Master Kenobi asks. "Did you find them?"

"No, but I've stationed troopers at every escape pod." Anakin responds.

"Merrik will try to signal his allies for help. We have to find him." Master Kenobi told us. We then entered a lift to take us to the higher levels.

"This may not be the time to ask, but were you and Satine, ever…" Anakin begins to ask.

"I don't see how that has any bearing on the situation at hand!" Master Kenobi responds quickly in irritation. I snicker as Anakingrins to himself. "I think he did," tell Anakin.

* * *

Once we exited the lift, the ship suddenly rumbled for a moment, as if it was coming out of hyperspace. The alarms then began to ring, signaling the boarding of Separatist droids. Clone troopers start to make their way to the breech as Anakin directs them in the right direction.

"I'll take care of this, Obi-wan. You, go find your girlfriend." Anakin says, running off as fast as he could.

Master Kenobi nods. "Right, uh no, Anakin, she's not my…" he exclaims in aggravation, cutting himself off as he ran out of sight. I laugh at his expression. "Don't worry Master. It's perfectly fine between you and Satine." I tease him. He groans in annoyance. "Not you too Jarik," he says with a sigh.

We then ran off in the direction of the bridge, where the Senator had to be if the ship dropped out of hyperspace. "So what's the plan Master?" I ask.

"Once we find them we have to keep Merrik from leaving with her. Make sure he can't escape." Master Kenobi tells me, and I nod. Soon enough we arrive at the bridge with out lightsabers activated, and I notice how all the bridge crew are all shot dead. What a piece of crap. This is why I don't like Senators! I've said this many times already!

"Come in, Kenobi, Shan, you're expected." Merrik tells us with a sneer. Once again my name is said as if its poison. Why do Mandalorians hate me so much? So rude.

"Tal Merrik, you are under arrest. Release the Duchess." Master Kenobi says, pointing his lightsaber at Tal Merrik while I keep mine by my side.

"I took the precaution of wiring the ship's engines to explode. I press this remote, and we all die." the Senator tells us smugly, waving the remote around. He slowly moves to the exit of the bridge.

"You're such a jerk. Why would you do that to everyone?" I ask him with narrowed eyes. Merrik scowls at me. "Why do YOU even exist? You're an insult to Mandalore!" He spits out at me. I roll my eyes. "Why do you people hate me so much? I'd be flattered if it weren't so dumb." I respond. He scoffs at me. "You'll learn so enough. I'm surprised you're this ignorant. No matter. touch me and I hit this button." Merrik threatens.

"Obi, if you have any respect for me, you will not take such risks with so many people's lives at stake." Satine pleads with us, specifically Master Kenobi.

"Satine..." He starts to say before Merrik moves again. "Don't." Master Kenobi says warningly.

We slowly follow Tal Merrik as he heads down the hallways. For all my smarts in slicing, I couldn't deactivate ship engines from exploding. It's terrible.

* * *

We cautiously followed Merrik all the way through the Coronet until we came upon the Separatist boarding ships.

"This is Merrik, prepare to disengage. Say goodbye, Duchess." Merrik says smugly.

"Obi-wan, it looks like I may never see you again. I don't know quite how to say this, especially with your Padawan here but I trust him as much as I trust you to keep this to herself. I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago." Satine starts to say. I stare in between the two of them in surprise. Say what?

Apparently Merrik had the same thoughts, but harsher ones. "I don't believe this." he says in disgust.

"Satine, this is hardly the time or place for…" Master Kenobi starts to say, but stops at the face Satine is giving him.

"All right. Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order." Master Kenobi admits.

I gape at Master Kenobi in surprise. Like what? The great Negotiator of the Jedi and Republic, High Council Master, would have left falling in love with the Duchess of Mandalore? Sounds like a match made between a squirrel and monstrous lizard.

"That is touching, truly, it is. But it's making me sick, and we really must be going." Merrik says in obvious disgust.

I roll my eyes and do a fake cough. "You're horsecrap! *cough cough* I'm so sorry. Did I offend you?" I ask him with a grin.

Satine glares at Merrik. "You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik!" Satine says stamping on Merrik's foot. He yelps in surprise and pain while Satine grabs the blaster and aims it at him. "And slugs are so often trod upon!"

I send Merrik a smug grin. Looks like we had all the cards now, since he had no hostage and we only had to attack if he made a move.

"Interesting turnabout, but even if I do not deliver the Duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win. The second I'm away, I'll hit the remote and blow the Coronet to bits." Merrik says smugly.

Satine glares at him with hard eyes. "I will not allow that."

"What will you do? If you shoot me, you prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist ideal you hold dear," he mocks Satine, before turning to Obi-Wan. "And you, Kenobi. You are no stranger to violence. You'd be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship, almost everyone." Master Kenobi glances at Satine in surprise and hesitation. I'm still grinning however.

"What about me? I could just cut off your arm right now. Didn't think of that huh?" I tell him smugly. Merrik scowls angrily at me. "Take a single step and this ship blows up in a second Shan! I'll gladly die if it means killing you!' he says threateningly, holding a hand to the button.

This makes me falter in fear, and I internally beat myself up. Now I couldn't do anything, because we'd all die the moment I made a move. Satine couldn't harm people for her own views, Master Kenobi managed to become tangled in a love-fest, and Merrik was watching me for any movements like a hawk. Come on!

"Come on, then. Who will strike first and brand themselves a cold-blooded killer?" Merrik says tauntingly, waving his arms at us.

Out of nowhere, an azure colored lightsaber is suddenly stabbed through Merrik's chest, causing him to jerk in surprise and pain. I jump a little, and the detonator falls into a gloved hand. Merrik falls to the floor, revealing Anakin who smiles at us. Satine quickly throws the blaster away.

Master Kenobi eyes him with a stare. "Anakin," he says in disappointment.

"What? He was going to blow up the ship." Anakin shrugs, tossing his lightsaber in the air.

Satine moves over to Master Kenobi "Obi-Wan, I…"

Cody suddenly runs up to us and starts talking. "General Skywalker, the last of the droids have been defeated, sir." he informs us as the clones walk up.

"Very good, Cody." Anakin says in congratulations.

"I must get back to the business of diplomacy." Satine tells us before walking off to some other part of the ship.

Master Kenobi sounds disappointed. "As you say Duchess, some other time."

* * *

The rest of our voyage on the Coronet was relatively calm to my relief. No more creepy assassin probes or traitorous Senators lurking about. R5 gladly joined with me as soon as he could to get out of the cargo hold, and I saw no reason to now allow him to. The ship then docked with a landing platform, where Chancellor Palpatine and a few Senate Commandos stood by and watched as we exited down the ramp.

"A job well done, Master Jedi." Palpatine says with a gracious nod.

"Thank you, Chancellor." Master Kenobi says, bowing lightly to him.

"Your excellency." Anakin says. I only nod in response.

Me and Anakin walk away with R5 and R2 as Satine approaches, deciding to give the two some lovey-dovey time. Haha.

We watched the two talk from a respectful distance, and I grin when Satine holds his beard for a moment. Once Satine and her guards begin to leave, me and Anakin walk back over to him.

"What was that all about?" Anakin asks with a small laugh.

"I think our esteemed Jedi Council Member has a secret love..." I quietly sing. Anakin laughs while Obi-Wan shoots me a half-hearted glare. I smile innocently at him.

"She is a remarkable woman," Anakin tells him.

"She is indeed." Master Kenobi replies. We all watch as the Duchess boards a transport to take her to the Senate, where she will plead on the case of Mandalore.

BUT WHY DOES DEATH WATCH HATE ME SO MUCH? WHAT IS GOING ON DUDES?! D:


	11. Chapter 10 - Break at the Temple

I have a secret.

Actually, me and Ahsoka share a secret that we have never told anyone else, which is impressive and terrifying for my standards. Since we were both brought to the Temple at the age of three, and have been friends with each other even since then... we actually managed to develop a natural friendship bond between us without us knowing. When we figured it out, we were excited! We had always been great friends, confiding in each other, laughing with each other, and being viewed as equals in our eyes. Yet with this Force bond... we weren't sure what to do.

One thing we do know for certain is that we do not want to get rid of that bond between us ever. It's a secret symbol of our life-long friendship, and we're afraid to lose it is if the Council finds out.

I know that we have a Jedi Code that forbids attachment, but it just doesn't seem right. And Ahsoka agrees whole-heartedly with me. So even with this Force-bond between the two of us, we will always strive to be kind and compassionate Jedi Heroes.

"Ahsoka, stop it!"

Well, most of the time.

"What's the matter Jarik? Can't handle the burn?" Ahsoka teases me.

"No I can't and it is dreadful!" I complain in exasperation.

Currently we were at the Temple, free from any missions for the moment, and were hanging out in the Room of a thousand Fountains. I pride myself on being a smart young Jedi, yet when it came to card games, lived through nightmares, especially when Ahsoka was playing. Call her reckless and impatient if you will, but she kicks butt in any type of card game.

"Alright... you won;t get me this time..." I mutter, holding up my stack to decide what move I wanted to do. Ahsoka smirked and eyed her own cards, waiting for me to take my turn. I suddenly grinned in triumph and slammed two cards on the table, staring at her victoriously. "Beat that Sweetie Horns!" I exclaim smugly.

She rolls her eyes and eyes her cards again, then makes her move. I stare at the cards and my face immediately falls. "Are you kidding me? How do you even beat that?" I exclaim in shock. Ahsoka laughs at my expression and punches me in the shoulder. She's always been the more aggressive of us.

"Guess I won again Shan," she told me with a smug smile.

"Why do I even try?" I say, throwing my hands up in exasperation. She smirks at me. "Because you're too prideful over this. I'm clearly the better player," she tells me.

"I'm the better duelist." I counter.

"Better Force user," she retorts back. I glare at her light-heartedly before sighing in defeat.

 _"You're impossible Soka,"_ I say over the bond we share naturally. She smiles back at me. _"And that's why we're best friends little Jari,"_ she says, using her nickname for me. I roll my eyes. _"I'm not little Ahsoka."_ I tell her.

 _"You're two months younger than me mister,"_ she says, tapping my nose. I shake my head. "Alright you win," I say, speaking aloud this time.

"That's what I thought little Jari."

"Sweetie Horns." I respond back.

Just then, Barriss comes up to us, being integrated into our friend group since the Battle of Geonosis. She was currently on break as well, although she has a lot of similarities to Master Unduli, which has turned her into more of the stern adult in our group. Makes sense, given that she is a Senior Padawan after all.

"Hello Ahsoka, Jarik," she greets us politely.

"Hey Barriss. What's up?" Ahsoka asks in greeting.

"I just have plenty of free time for today, and decided to take a break from my studies, so I thought I'd come find you two." Barriss tells us. I nod my head. "That's cool. Hey uh, do you happen to be a good card player by any chance?" I ask her. I vaguely notice Ahsoka rolling her eyes at me. "I'm a decent player, but I'm far from being one of the better players," she tells me.

"Oh, well thats fine." I tell her.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Ahsoka asks. I shrug my shoulders. "Dunno. Friendly competition maybe?" I suggest.

"That sounds fine to me." Barriss says in agreement.

With that decided, we get up and leave the garden, heading towards the training rooms in the Temple. We'd probably start with a simple lightsaber duel before heading off somewhere else.

* * *

When we reached the Training Rooms, we headed over to a more private chamber and stood around each other.

"So, I've about how you're a dueling prodigy out of the Padawans," Barriss tells me. I nod in confirmation. "Yeah, I've always enjoyed the physical thrill of a good and honest battle between someone." I told her.

"What kind of form do you use?" she asks me curiously.

"I like to use a combination of Makashi and Ataru in my form. It's such a fun and elegant way of fighting. Plus its affective." I tell her.

"I'm usually more of a Form IV fighter. Master Skywalker always likes to complain about my Reverse Shien grip." Ahsoka says.

"I'm more of a Form III user." Barriss tells us.

"Really? That;s also Master Kenobi's preferred form, and he's a Master of it." I tell her in surprise.

Barriss nods. "Yeah, I think it works for my style. So, who's first up?" Barriss asks.

Ahsoka looks at me, and then gestures to Barriss with her head. "Want to spar Barriss?" I ask her. She nods in reply. "Sure."

We take our stances on opposite sides of the mat, and wait for Ahsoka to call it. We put our sabers on low setting so that we don't accidentally harm each other, and I perform the Makashi salute while Barriss holds her lightsaber at the ready in a Soresu pose. Ahsoka calls it, and I strike first.

I swing my lightsaber in a horizontal arc, which Barriss easily blocks before retaliating. I lean out of the way and send a quick flurry of strikes, which Barriss either dodges or deflects away from her. Soresu is a good tactic in lightsaber combat as a defensive method, but it also has weakness's as well. When Barriss sends an overhead attack my way, I switch to an Ataru position and leap out of the way, quickly spinning behind her in preparation to strike. However she blocks it just in time, and rolls out of the way, using her more agile body to her advantage.

"I can see why you're a Dueling Prodigy Jarik," she tells me.

"Thanks," I respond. "You're not bad yourself."

We then converge again, engaging in a quick series of strikes that pass by in a few seconds. Barriss kicks me in the torso, forcing me back, and I see her quickly rushing in my direction. Rolling to the side, I manage to leap behind her and sweep her feet from under her. She manages to regain her footing by landing with a roll, but by the time she's standing up, my blade is pointed at her throat.

"I didn't expect that," Barriss admits, deactivating her lightsaber. I turn my lightsaber off as well and give her a smile. "Well, it's a newer move I've been working on."

Ahsoka claps, gaining our attention. "Nice job little Jari. You beat a Senior Padawan," she says. I groan. "Ahsoka!"

Barriss laughs at the nickname, finding it cute.

"Now look what you've done! If the whole Temple finds out it'll be the death of me." I say in annoyance. Ahsoka's face turns thoughtful. "Now there's an idea..." she says.

"Soka!"

"Alright, alright, you win. I won't spread it." Ahsoka reassures me, holding up her hands in surrender. I sigh in relief.

"Alright then, Jarik vs Ahsoka." Barriss tells us.

We get into our positions, and I activate my lightsaber, holding it down by my side while Ahsoka starts in her Shien grip, lightsaber blade behind her back. Once Barriss called it, Ahsoka leaped at me very quickly. I blocked her first attack and swiped at her, but she spun around my blade gracefully and swung her saber again. I parried the attack and counter with a few quick strikes, most of which Ahsoka dodged using her Ataru form. While we both knew that I was a more skilled duelist, Ahsoka was way more agile than me, and quicker too, because of her natural Togruta biology and her use of Ataru.

This kept me moving around quicker than I was comfortable with, so I mixed in more Ataru along with Makashi to compensate for it. I swung my lightsaber with a twirl, catching Ahsoka's blade and entering a blade lock with her. We pushed against each other for a moment before I twisted to the side, brining my lightsaber along with me and causing Ahsoka to stumble. I quickly swipe for her midsection but she knocks me back with a Force push, allowing her to recover.

She rushes at me and I dodge to the side of her attack. She swings her lightsaber over my head again before continuing the motion quickly, pivoting on her heel to slam her lightsaber into mine full force. I block her attack, getting slightly pushed back, before I twist my lightsaber to loosen her grip and send it from her hand. I use the force to take her lightsaber and hold both blades to her neck in victory.

"My card game is avenged!" I cheer. Barriss giggles while Ahsoka puts a hand on her hip with a smirk. "You're ridiculous."

I shrug. "Eh, still won." I deactivate both sabers and give Ahsoka her own lightsaber back. "Here you go missy," I tell her.

"Impressive performance." Barriss tells us.

"Thanks Barriss," we reply. I then check my wrist com and widen my eyes in surprise. "Oh no, I'm gonna be late!" I exclaim.

"Late for what?" Ahsoka asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Late for a lesson with Master Kenobi. So I gotta go." I tell them quickly.

"See you soon then Jarik." Barriss tells me. I wave in response before rushing out of the room to me and Master Kenobi's quarters.

 _"Have a good lesson little Jari."_ Ahsoka tells me through the bond. _"Thanks Sweetie Horns. Have a good day to you as well!"_ I respnd to her cheerfully.

Yeah I wouldn't change this friendship for anything else right now.


	12. Chapter 11 - The Academy

"I hate this mission."

"It's not that bad."

"For you maybe. Why am I being assigned to help teach a class on corruption? I don't like political classes!"

"Because you're smart about it, and you know what's right from wrong."

I say in obvious reluctance. Right now, me and Ahsoka were heading to Mandalore in a Jedi Shuttle to teach a class of cadets about the problems of corruption. Master Skywalker was flying us there, and me and Ahsoka were in a small argument about it. However Ahsoka did have a good point. I may hate politics and stuff related to that, but I was intelligent in those areas. Figures that I do well in things I don't like.

"Alright, I still don't like it but I won't complain," I tell Ahsoka hesitantly.

She nods in understanding. "Me neither. I still think we're overqualified but, what can you do?" She says rhetorically. I shrug in response. We head over into the cockip and then sit down in our seats, Ahsoka in the co-pilots seat while I sit across from Rex. "The Council has given you two a mission, and it's your job to see it through." Anakin tells us.

"Aren't we a little overqualified for this Master?" Ahsoka asks.

"Yeah, and I've never enjoyed this subject so I'm not sure I'd be a great teacher." I tell him as well.

"According to Senator Amidala, Mandalore is a deeply corrupt world. If the cycle is to be broken, the future leaders at the Royal Academy of government must learn the evils of corruption." Anakin tells us. "Master Yoda feels that only young Padawan's such as yourselves can get through to them."

Once the shuttle landed, the htree of us walked over to where the Duchess and Prime Minister were waiting for us.

"Duchess Satine," Anakin says, bowing and giving Satine's hand a kiss. "Prime Minister Almec."

"Master Skywalker, Padawan Shan, so good to see you again." Satine says in greeting before she notices Ahsoka. "This is your Padawan I assume?"

Anakin nods in confirmation. "Yes my lady. May I present, Ahsoka Tano."

Ahsoka nods her head respectfully to the two. "Duchess, Prime Minister.

"I am grateful that the Jedi Council could spare the two of you to instruct our peacekeepers and leaders of tomorrow." Satine tells us gratefully. "Please thank Master Yoda for me."

Anakin looks at us a little sheepishly. "Uhhh, I'm afraid that due to our limited resources, I must return to battle immediately." Anakin says.

Prime Minister Almec looks a little caught off guard. "So you will not be staying Master Skywalker?"

"No." Anakin tells him. "But I assure you, Padawan's Tano and Shan are both highly capable Jedi, and have the full confidence of the Council." We smile and nod at his reassuring words.

"Very well," Almec says, turning behind him to the two others who seem like students. "Cadets Korkie, Amis, Lagos, these are some of the cadets that you will be instructing Padawan Shan and Tano," he tells us, the cadets stepping forward.

"Nice to meet all of you," Ahsoka says kindly.

"Hello," I say with a wave.

One of the cadets, Korkie I believe, stares at our lightsabers in awe. "That's a fine weapon! May I see?" he asks, leaning forward to get a better look. Ahsoka begins to reach for it when Almec holds him back.

"I'm afraid not," he says. "Because of Master Kenobi and Padawan Shan's recent visit and the trouble that followed, no off-worlders may carry weapons on Mandalore." Minister Almec gives me a small glare and I react innocently. I turn away and hold my hands behind my back, whistling a soft tune while Ahsoka gapes at me in astonishment.

"You two caused trouble here? That's a first." Ahsoka says with a smirk.

"I... uhhh, don't know what your talking about." I deny, refusing to make eye contact.

Anakin sighs. "Just give me your lightsabers," he says, holding his hand out. Me and Ahsoka both hand him our lightsabers, although I'm a little reluctant before handing it over.

"Thank you for respecting our ways, Master Jedi." Satine says with a grateful nod. Captain Rex then walks up to Anakin's side in serious mode.

"Excuse me for the interruption sir, but it is time to depart. General Fisto is expecting us."

Anakin nods. "If you'll excuse me," he says, shooting us a smirk. As he walks away, Ahsoka and I give the Duchess and her entourage a sheepish smile. The shuttle takes off and we follow the Mandalorian group as we head inside, our destination being the Academy.

* * *

Once we head inside the city, we begin our lessons on corruption in the cadets Academy building. It looks rather fancy, and me and Ahsoka are currently in one of the classrooms teaching a group of students. They're a lot better behaved than I expected students to be, which I'm not going to complain about.

"Corruption is what happens when someone in power, puts their own gain ahead of the people they represent." Ahsoka says. One of the cadets, Soniee I believe, raises her visor and looks up with a question.

"So it's a result of greed?" she asks.

I nod my head. "Yes. It's when a leader sacrifices moral integrity in order to gain either money, or power for themselves. Entire star systems have fallen from Revolutions, due to their leaders being to corrupt or greedy, getting caught up in either bribery or blackmail to further their own gains, while their people suffer from lack of resources." I inform them.

"Does that mean most government officials are corrupt?" Lagos asks.

"Well, no." Ahsoka admits. "But the point is, that temptation is always there, and citizens must be vigilant so that corruption can't take root. The deadliest enemies of a society dwell within its borders. And from these internal threats, the people need to be protected."

"But if you don't trust your leaders, isn't that treason?" Amis asks us.

"Some may view it that way, but it is every citizens right to challenge their leaders in order to keep them honest, and hold them responsible if they aren't." I tell them.

"How do you do that?" Korkie asks us with interest.

"By exposing any corrupt officials in the government for what they are." I say simply.

"Lasting change can only come from within," Ahsoka follows up. The cadets think about what we've said, and just then the bell for the end of the day rings. The cadets all gather their things and prepare to head out. "Be sure your assignments are prepared for tomorrow." Ahsoka says.

* * *

After the day of classes were over, me and Ahsoka returned to the temporary room that we were given. It two beds, a couch, desk and a fresher. I collapsed into the chair by the desk with a tired sigh. "Teaching a class about corruption is exhausting," I mutter.

"Well it could be worse. The cadets could be more disruptive." Ahsoka points out.

I nod my head in agreement. "Yeah. Honestly, I'm a little impressed at how well behaved they were. Almost reminds me of Temple classes."

Ahsoka then lays down on the bed beside the desk, her head propped up by two fists as she grins at me. "So..." she starts to say. I look at her in confusion.

"So what?" I ask.

"What's this I heard about you and Master Obi-Wan causing trouble on Mandalore?" she asks me with a smirk. I immediately look away in slight embarrassment. "It was nothing much..." I mumble.

"I don't believe that for a second," she counters.

I sigh in defeat. "Alright fine! Me and Master Kenobi were walking along the gardens with the Duchess when a bomb exploded. Also, me and Satine had to rescue him from a mining facility that going to "smash him into bits," as he put it." I tell her. She snickers in amusement. "Who knew he could cause trouble like that?"

"That's not even the best part." I tell her with a grin.

"What was then?" she asks me.

"Master Kenobi and the Duchess were constantly bickering and flirting with each other for the whole mission! She even confessed her love to him while she was taken prisoner." I say in amusement.

Ahsoka's mouth hangs open as she gapes at me in surprise, before she starts laughing. "Are you serious?! That's so funny! Who knew the respected Jedi Master had a secret love life?" she exclaims in between laughs. "Did Anakin know about this?" she asks me. I smile deviously. "He saw pretty much the whole thing," I admit with a snicker. Ahsoka giggles, her lekku swinging from her laughing motions.

"He's never gonna let Master Obi-Wan live it down is he?" Ahsoka asks rhetorically.

"No he won't," I say in agreement.

* * *

The next day we were going over the current lesson, although me and Ahsoka noticed something was off about a small group of cadets.

 _"You sense it right?"_ I ask Ahsoka. She nods before glancing at one of the cadets. "Korkie, you seem distracted today," she remarks. "What's going on?"

"We did what you said. We found evidence of corruption." Korkie tells us. Inwardly I roll my eyes so nobody notices. Only a day on Mandalore and there's already some evidence of corruption, although it shouldn't surprise me. My last visit showed Concordia's governor and Mandalore's Senator to be traitors. I wonder who it would be this time.

"What kind of corruption?" I ask him.

"Well, we were hungry. So we decided to go look for food." Lagos starts to say.

LIES I TELL YOU! LIES!

Me and Ahsoka share a small glance with each other before replying. "Food?" Ahsoka asks her skeptically.

"Yeah, down by the government warehouse." Amis says casually, not realizing his mistake.

"So what your saying is, that someone simply let you into a government facility to get some food, instead of just getting something to eat here at the Academy?" I ask rhetorically.

"No. We broke in." Amis says matter-of-factly. **Cue the mental face-palm.** Soniee does it for me. "Oh great," she says in exasperation.

"So you committed a crime?" Ahsoka asks them with a raised brow.

"It sounds bad I know," Korkie says. "But then we saw a meeting, and off-worlders.."

"And they chased us!" Lagos exclaims.

"Maybe they chased you because you broke into a government warehouse." Ahsoka deadpans, giving them a light glare.

"No, it was a blackmarket deal. I know it!" Korkie proclaims. "My aunt Satine told us to stay out of it, but we must do something!"

Well at least his heart is in the right place, even if they broke into a government warehouse.

"So do you have proof of this?" I ask him.

"We made a holorecording," Soniee says, showing her holocam. "The Prime Minister is meeting us tonight to.." she starts to say before cutting herself off, seeming hesitant to tell us. Although hearing that they're meeting the Prime Minister has me a little suspicious. Sure he's nice and all, but he's still a government official. The only Mandalorian leader I think to be pure is the Duchess herself.

"Are you sure thats a good idea?" Ahsoka asks with her hands on her hips.

Amis raises his hand. "But I though you said it was the duty of every citizen to expose corrupt officials," he says in confusion.

"What we mean is to just take it slowly and examine all of the facts before you act on it. You can never truly know what exactly is going on unless you know the full story behind it. Sometimes it can take months, maybe years to expose a corrupt leader." I tell the cadets. Korkie looks down in disappointment.

"You sound a lot more like my aunt, then a Jedi Knight."

The bell then rings and I stare at him in bemusement. He's definitely committed to solving this corruption he's spoken of. Me and Ahsoka eye the four suspiciously as the cadets all leave for their next class. Me and Ahsoka share a look.

 _"You thinking what I'm thinking?"_ Ahsoka asks me.

 _"Operation Spy-On-Cadets? Yeah I'm thinking that to. Not like we have anything else to do today."_ I point out. She nods in agreement.

 _"Then let's see where they're meeting."_

* * *

Once the cadets are all done with their classes, me and Ahsoka follow the four cadets from class to see where they are going. It's later in the day, and the area they're headed to is a bit shadier. We creep along the upper levels before coming to a balcony where we notice the four cadets being surrounded by Police Guards. Through the Force we can easily sense that these guards have dark intents and are corrupt, and they charge at the cadets. They bravely attempt to fight back, but are easily subdued by the guards using shields and batons.

 _"So, want to use the StealthStrike move?"_ I ask her, referring to our gag of naming our different battle strategies. She nods in agreement.

 _"I'll go first."_

With that being said, Ahsoka leaps off the balcony in a double flip, striking a guard hard in the back with her fist. I jump down after her and land on the ground in a roll, jumping up to kick one of the guards in the face. He goes flying back, and Ahsoka roundhouse kicks another. She grabs on guards arm and throws him to the ground before he can react, and tosses me one of their batons. I catch it and turn around to block one guards strike with a baton, and then quickly shove him back and knock his head with it. He falls to the ground and I punch another away from Korkie, and Ahsoka finally slams her foot into the final guard's face.

Knowing they can't defeat us, the guards quickly scatter, and we turn our attention to the cadets.

"Look's like the Prime Minister set you up," Ahsoka says, helping Soniee to her feet.

"That's treason. He's the leader of our system, he couldn't possibly be a traitor." Korkie says in protest. I cross my arms with a shrug. "Same could be said about Senator Merrik, yet that turned out well."

"We need proof." Lago says. Soniee's eyes light up in excitement. "We have the recording!" she exclaims, pulling it up and activating it.

A group of police guards and gang members are surrounded in a discussion, along with a hood figure who seems to be the one in charge of it all. She zooms in on the cloaked figure.

"That's no good. We can't see who it is," Korkie says.

I observe the spinning hologram. "Stop it right there," I tell her. The image stops and I take a small device out of my belt.

"You got something for that?" Ahsoka asks me. I nod with a small grin. "Oh yeah."

I connect a small drive to my scanner, and hold it up to the recording. "Info retrieval, I need to ID a hologram." I say.

The scanner beeps and sends a small light at the hologram. Within seconds, the officials face is shown, revealing it to be the Prime Minister.

"That's him!" Amis exclaims.

The hologram shuts off and Soniee turns to us. "You were right! That is the Prime Minister!"

"We have to take this to my aunt and warn her." Korkie says. His face suddenly falls and he grows worried. "We already talked to her," he says. Korkie starts to run off and the rest of us follow him.

* * *

Eventually we reach Satine's palace, and quickly head inside. Already I can tell something is wrong, judging by the lack of guards and no lighting. Ahsoka and I share a look of understanding.

"Stay behind us," she orders the cadets. They follow behind us and me and Ahsoka, and we head down the steps to where Satine would normally be. To our surprise we find one of her own guards lying still in the doorway.

"We're too late!" Korkie says in horror. Ahsoka kneels down to examine the guard. "He's dead," she says. Korkie moves to rush past us.

"Korkie, they might still be in there!" I warn him. He ignores us and dashes into the room, forcing us to follow. Dead guards litter the floors, and a few pieces of furniture are broken.

"They took her!" Korkie exclaims angrily. He kneels on the ground and holds his head in shame. "This is all my fault!" Lagos kneels next to him, offering some bit of comfort and Korkie stands up again, walking around the place. "Who knows what they've done to her!"

The cadets then gather around me and Ahsoka, not sure of what to do. "Now what? How are we supposed to find her?" Amis asks.

"Who can we trust?" Lagos says fearfully.

"Hey hey hey, everyone calm down. Panicking won't solve anything right now." I tell the cadets. Ahsoka nods. "He's right. We know the Prime Minister is behind this."

"After my aunt he's the most powerful person on Mandalore!" Korkie tells us. Me and Ahsoka exchange a small grin with each other. "Then let's have a chat with the big M." I tell everyone. While explaining our plan, the cadets nod along with grins on their faces as well.

"Just make sure you don't blow your cover cadets." I tell them.

"We won't," they respond.

* * *

A few minutes later, me and Ahsoka were heading towards the Prime Ministers office, with two of his guards escorting us. He looks up from his terminal in surprise. "Master Jedi, this is an unexpected pleasure. How may I help you?" he asks us. Me and ahsoka both notice immediately that he's nervous, and for good reason.

"Actually Prime Minister, it's what we can do for you." Ahsoka says, gesturing towards the entrance. The door opens and the guards walk in, escorting the four cadets who are all handcuffed. Minister Almec's face lights up in glee, his nervousness gone. He thinks that we're on his side, and don't know about what he's done. So overconfident.

"We believe some of our students are involved in a conspiracy against you Prime Minister," I tell him with a charming smile. On the inside I was gagging.

"Intriguing," he says, faking his surprise. His Force signature signs with obvious greed and relief.

 _"He's so overconfident to fall for the oldest trick in the book,"_ I tell Ahsoka, keeping my face neutral. She does the same. _"Maybe this will teach him a valuable lesson; if he escapes from jail that is."_ Ahsoka replies.

* * *

Later in the night, we arrive at the prison where the guards take the cadets to their cells.

"You can't do this! We trusted you!" Korkie says in protest, sounding hopeless. Nice acting. Ahsoka wears a sinister looking smirk while I keep my face neutral. I couldn't pull off an evil grin if I even tried, but Ahsoka has used it on countless occasions whenever she decided to mess with me.

"Thank you for bringing the traitors to justice Master Jedi." Minister Almec. Ahsoka turns to him. "They mentioned that Duchess Satine is their leader. We should arrest her too."

Moment of truth.

"Oh do not worry. We already have her in custody." Almec says, a little darkly as a matter of fact.

"Oh really?" I ask him innocently with false surprise. "Where then?" I ask him.

"Oh that is none of your concern," he quickly replies, rather rudely in fact. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must prepare a public statement about the Duchess and her crimes." Minister Almec says, taking off on his speeder. Ahsoka and I watch him go with skeptical looks, before she shrugs at me. We make our way towards the prison entrance.

 _"I think you should take this one."_ I tell her.

 _"You're probably right. After all, I have more 'influence.'"_ she responds teasingly. I mentally roll my eyes as we walk up to the guard.

"Officer, we need to interrogate the prisoners immediately." Ahsoka tells him. He nods in our direction. Guess we won;t have to use a mind trick: yet anyways.

We head into the prison, where two guards escort us to where the cadets are being held in their cells. On the way we pass by some shady figures that the police have caught over the years, and I can't help but stare at some of them with a weird expression.

We then come up to the cadet's cell, and the guard lets us in. Once the door closes, Ahsoka raises her arms. "Careful, we're being watched."

"Did he buy it?" Soniee asks. "Have you found my aunt?" Korkie demands.

"Not really, but they do have her locked up." I tell him.

"Where?" he asks.

"The Prime Minister wouldn't tell us," Ahsoka says. Amis sighs in defeat. "I knew this plan wouldn't work."

"Oh ye of little faith!" I tell him with a shake of my head. "We'll find her, we just need to change the plan."

"How are you going to do that?" Soniee asks us.

"Don't worry. You'll know when to act when I give the signal." Ahsoka says.

"What's the signal?" Korkie asks hastily.

"You'll know it when you see it," she responds.

I give off a small smirk. "Oh this'll be good."

Me and Ahsoka then exit the room and walk up to the police guard standing outside. She waves her hand in his face and uses the Force to influence him. "You will, take me to Duchess Satine," she orders him.

"I will take you to Duchess Satine," he responds immediately, walking off. Ahsoka and I follow him, unaware of the guard trailing behind us.

* * *

The guards escort us into a large room, where we find a large glass box suspended above the ground. I can just barely make out the figure of Duchess Satine at the top. Me and Ahsoka head over to the control console, and I'm about to press a button when the guard stops me.

"What are you doing?" he demands. Ahsoka turns around to face him.

"We must, interrogate the Duchess," she says, influencing the Force again.

"You must interrogate, the Duchess," he replies, although a little hesitantly.

Satisfied, I press a few buttons in order to let Satine out of her cell. The glass box lowers into the floor, and then opens up. Satine collapses onto the floor with binders on her wrists. Ahsoka runs to her side. "We're getting you out of here!" she says. To my surprise, Satine looks up at us fearfully. "Jarik, Ahsoka, it's a trap!" she warns us.

"I see you've found the Duchess young Jedi." Minister Almec suddenly says, walking up to us. We stare at him in surprise. "Uh Sergeant, you may stop your play acting now."

The influenced guards immediately turn around and stand at attention. "Prime Minister, sir!"

"Ahsoka!" I complain, causing her to glare at me. "What? You wouldn't have been any better!" she responds defensively. Sadly she has a point.

"Using a Jedi Mind trick was a very poor decision. My guards have been trained to resist such archaic magic." Minister Almec says smugly. Oh how my hate of politicians has doubled. dozens of guards come out of the shadows and surround us.

"And now you have revealed yourselves as conspirators." Almec says gleefully. Ahsoka glares at him and I prepare myself for a fight. "Really? We aren't even a part of your government. We're Jedi scumbag!" I tell him angrily. He glares back at me. "Then you're intruders, enemies of the state. Set for stun!" he shouts, and the overhead lights shoot us with stun bolts. I fall to the ground beside Ahsoka, crying out from the burning electric shot.

"You little fools." he says tauntingly. I grit my teeth and glare up at him, doing my best to ignore the pain.

"Oh really? How about this!" I shout, throwing my arms out in a Force push. Almec and the guards beside him are thrown back violently, but the stun cannon immediately shoots at me, and I fall to the ground with a cry of pain. "Jarik!" Ahsoka exclaims worriedly. Four guards advance on us, harshly pulling me and Ahsoka to our feet and slapping binders on our wrists. They hold us in place while Ahsoka struggles against her captors. Still weak from the stun blast, I don't resist yet as Almec walks up to the Duchess with a datpad and a pen.

"Sign it, sign to the confession of all your treasoness ways!" He demands of her.

"There is only one traitor to Mandalore here Prime Minister, and that's you!" Satine says with a glare.

"What about all these crappy guards?" I manage to quip. The one holding me slams his baton into my stomach and I gasp in pain, the air rushing out of me. Ahsoka struggles even harder, but the guards have a tight grip on her.

"You control the black market," Satine continues. "You have betrayed the public trust, and have used your office to accumulate wealth and power! Shameful!" Satine yells angrily.

Almec merely chuckles. "your idealism is inspiring my dear, but hopelessly naive. I established the black market for the people." Almec says.

"That's absurd!" Ahsoka shouts.

"The war is disrupting trade routes all across the galaxy. The profits from the black market are being used to purchase humanitarian supples for Mandalore! Think of it, as a new tax in the interest of national security." Almec continues to drone on. I roll my eyes.

"It's tax for your benefit Prime Minister. Where are these humanitarian supplies you speak of?" Satine retorts.

"Sergeant put the shock collar on her!" Almec orders. My eyes widen in surprise.

"My patience has worn thin Duchess. Maybe this will convince you." Almec says coldly. He presses a button on is control panel and the collar starts to violently shock Satine. I start to pull against the guards holding me, but I'm still to hurt from the double stun blast. Once he relieves her of the pain, Satine breathes heavily before throwing him an angry glare.

"I would rather die, then sign your confession!" she exclaims.

"That can be arranged," he replies coldly.

"You're wasting your time!" Ahsoka exclaims, pulling against the guards.

"Bring me those, traitorous cadets." Almec orders. I stare at him in shock before narrowing my eyes in anger. He wouldn't dare!

"No they're just children!" Satine protests in horror. Almec only smirks at her, having found her weakness. I growl lowly in my throat.

Soon enough, the four cadets are brought into the room, surrounded by guards. "I'm afraid your nephew will have to suffer endlessly. Put the shock collar on cadet Korkie." Almec orders. The Sergeant steps forward without hesitatio, holding it out for him to see. I now feel most of my strength returned after being stunned twice.

 _"Now?"_ I ask Ahsoka.

 _"Now."_ She agrees. She makes the first move, and I then knock the guard holding me with my head, causing him to lose his grip. I jump up and move my hands under my feet so that they're in front of me, and ram my fist into a guards helmet. One charges at me and I kick him away harshly. The cadets all work together to pile up on the guards, and I notice Almec grasping for the controls.

"Ahsoka!" I shout warningly. She looks back to see Almec and uses the Force to pull him away from the console and throw her into another guard. The stun cannons take aim and Ahsoka and I grab a shield each from the fallen guards, and block the incoming stun bolts. The guards rush us and I swing the shield around, hitting two in the face before kicking another. I then throw my shield at another advancing guard as me and Ahsoka stand by the Duchess, evading stun bolts. I notice Almec attempting to approach the console again without us knowing.

Glancing at Satine's shock collar, I rip it off easily and move over to where Almec is standing. I sweep his feet out from under him with a well placed kick and then jab the collar onto him. Eyes widening is horror, Almec scrambles frantically to pull it off, but it was too late. Ahsoka smashes the button.

"Gotcha," she says.

Almec starts screaming in pain at the elctricity coming from the shock collar, and Ahsoka lets up to give him a breather. The guards rush forward, but Almec stops them.

"Stop fighting!" he pleads. I scoff at him. "What a sad and pathetic surrender."

Satine then stands up and looks to Ahsoka. "Send for my personal guards." Ahsoka nods, all too happy to comply.

* * *

Soon enough, Satine's personal guards arrive and arrest all the officers loyal to Almec, while the big M- sorry.. EX-M himself is put into the cage. He glares at us while Satine pulls the lever, sending the glass box into the air. Ahsoka watches him go with a hand on her hip, and I cross my arms, even offering a little wave to Almec. He does nothing except glare at my angrily.

Satine turns to us, relief evident on her face. "you must know by now, that I didn't bring you here just to teach. I knew something was amiss, but I had no one to trust," she tells us. "I thought if I brought a Jedi, especially friends of Senator Amidala, we could solve this mystery together."

"I never doubted you Duchess," Ahsoka says with a smile.

"So am I forgiven from last visit?" I ask with a smirk. She smiles at me. "Of course you are forgiven Padawan Shan. Now you've helped save me for a third time."

I shrug. "Third time's the charm." I tell her. Ahsoka shakes her head and gives me a light punch to the shoulder.

"We didn't doubt you either Auntie," Korkie says, giving Satine a hug.

* * *

The next day, me and Ahsoka are waiting by the city dock with the others as we watch the Jedi Shuttle land.

"It was an honor to serve by a Jedi Knight," Korkie says with a small bow.

"It was a privilege to be your teacher," Ahsoka responds with a smile. I put my hand on Korkie's shoulder. "Just, don't break into a government food supply next time." I tell him. He laughs at that, and we give Satine respectful bows. We then headed to the shuttle, where Master Skywalker was waiting by the ramp.

"I hope this assignment wasn't too boring for the two of you." Anakin says with a smirk. Ahsoka shrugs her shoulders. "Eh, it had its moments." she tells him.

"Oh, like the one where you convinced untrained children to help you overthrow a corrupt government?" Anakin aks us, tossing his lightsaber.

I nod my head. "Definitely that moment Master. Made me satisfied," I say with a satisfied grin on my face as me and Ahsoka head into the ship.

"It sounds pretty risky," he says. "You're lucky you didn't get hurt."

"Nothing you wouldn't have done." Ahsoka replies cheekily. I laugh at the stunned expression on Anakin's face when we enter the ship, heading off back to Coruscant. This trip certainly helped me release my annoyance and frustrations with politics for sure. Yay me!


	13. Chapter 12 - ARC Troopers

I stood by Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker as the officers decrypted the intercepted message. Right now we were searching the galaxy for leads on the whereabouts of General Grievous. Ahsoka was currently given permission to head to Alderaan with Senator Amidala by Master Yoda, for whatever reason. I wasn't sure why but she told me over the Bond that she felt Senator Amidala was in danger, so I went with it.

"We're decrypting the audio now sir!" One of the officers informed us.

A hologram of Ventress appeared on the table.

 _"The clone planet of Kamino will be a dangerous target,"_ she said. Then General Grievous appeared as well.

 _"Just make sure you hold up your half of the mission. We must stop the production of new clones if we are to win this war."_ he growls, making a fist on the hologram.

The message was dropped, being all that they managed to intercept. We all looked at each other grimly.

"Kamino…" Master Skywalker said, uncrossing his arms as he stared at Obi-Wan.

"They're going to attack our home planet." Rex said. I could tell he was unnerved and upset by this, though he hid it behind his military training. Master Kenobi brought his hand up to his chin.

"The Separatists are taking quite the chance even considering this," he said thoughtfully.

"With all due respect General," Rex said. "If someone comes to our home, they better be carrying a big blaster," he said, holding up his weapon for emphasis. Cody stepped forward.

"I concur with Captain Rex sir. This is personal for us clones!"

"We'll make sure Kamino is secure. Tell your troopers in the 501st, they're going home." Master Skywalker told them. They stood at attention. "Yes sir!" They said, walking off to inform their respective Legions.

"Master, why attack Kamino now? I know that the Rishi Outpost was destroyed but.. it's still so soon," I said, confused and a little worried.

"I'm not sure Jarik. This could mean they're getting desperate, or they have an ulterior motive." Master Kenobi said. Master Skywalker spoke up determinedly.

"Whatever the case, we'll be ready for them."

I nodded my head. "Yes master."

* * *

Once the Acclamator dropped out of hyperspace, I was greeted with the planet of Kamino for the first time. Obi-Wan was right in his description of it being a complete stormy ocean. I had to wonder how the Kaminoans even managed to build their cities in the first place. We're they adapted to survive in water too?

Soon enough the cruiser docked between two of the buildings, where a ramp lowered into the platform. Me, Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker, as well as Rex and Cody exited first, followed by the 501st and 212th legions. Master Shaak Ti and the Prime Minister greeted us.

"Masters Kenobi and Skywalker, and Padawan Shan," she said. "Welcome to Kamino."

"Greetings Generals, and Commander." Lama Su told us. I couldn't help but think that his voice was very proper, and he didn't seem to show much emotion, even through the force.

"I wish our arrival wasn't under such circumstances." Master Kenobi said gravely. "We believe Grievous is planning a Separatist attack on Kamino."

"But the Republic blockade is far to strong," Lama Su said, shaking his head in disbelief. "They would not dare."

Master Ti looked at us and Obi-Wan explained. "We managed to intercept a transmission between Grievous and Ventress. I must admit however that this attack does seem to be a bit desperate."

Master Ti and Lama Su looked at each other.

* * *

Later, Masters Kenobi and Shaak Ti, Lama Su, Rex, Cody and I were standing around a holo-map surveying the Republic blockade around the planet. Anakin had headed to his fighter, not wanting to hang around a command center staring at pictures. I might have joined him if it weren't for the fact that I'm not as good as Ahsoka at piloting a starfighter yet. That and Obi-Wan told me to remain with him.

Eventually, the Separatist fleet emerged from hyperspace on the holograms, and engaged he blockade fairly quickly. Alarms went off in the city as our fighters made their way into battle up in space. We watched the fight from the Command Center.

"Shore up our defenses." Cody told another trooper.

"The fleet is not as large as I expected," Master Ti observed, giving Obi-Wan a look.

"Begin the air strike."

The fighters entered the battle, attacking the Separatist frigates and causing damage to them, while being unable to move closer to the command ship. A few pieces were knocked off, which fell towards the surface. Kamino's shields were put up to defend against any debris.

 **"Warning: falling debris,"** the announcer said.

"Grievous appears to be sacrificing his transports in favor of protecting his command ship." Shaak Ti pointed out. Obi-Wan frowned with his hand on his beard.

"Something's not right."

I had to agree. From what Master Kenobi told me, even Grievous wouldn't commit to such a desperate suicide attack without a plan, especially considering how he handled his fleet on Saluecami.

 _"I'm gonna press the attack Master."_ Anakin said over the comlink. Obi-Wan quickly brought his hand up. "No Anakin wait! It's too easy. Not even Grievous would attack so recklessly," he observed.

 _"Master, the battle is up here in space! Not down there."_ Anakin protested.

"The debris from the destroyed Separatist ships is the key." Obi-Wan informed him before cutting the line. Shaak Ti gave us a look. "What are you thinking?"

"I think I'd like to go for a swim," he replied cheekily. I frowned, thinking about something that bothered me.

"That begs the question: if Grievous is with the fleet," I started, giving Obi-Wan a look. "Then where's Ventress?"

Shaak Ti frowned, realizing that I'm right. The transmission we intercepted showed both Grievous and Ventress discussing the attack, yet only Grievous was showing up.

"That's what we're about to find out." Master Kenobi said, heading out of the command center. "Come on Jarik, we better get moving." I quickly followed after him, while Master Ti continued to observe the battle.

Me and Obi-Wan headed through the city towards the hanger, where we picked up two mini-subs for traveling underwater. We departed into the violent ocean, traveling around the city for any signs of activity. A pod of Aiwha creatures swam past us, letting out loud sounds for communication. So far we had yet to find anything.

"Nothing as of yet," Master Kenobi said in frustration.

 _"Only you could be worried about the ship's hat I already shot down."_ Master Skywalker said with amusement.

"Master Skywalker, this doesn't make sense though. We saw Grievous and Ventress both preparing for attack, but Ventress isn't here!" I said, feeling a little worried. He was silent before replying. " _You have a fair point Slice n' Dice."_ he said. I rolled my eyes at the nickname.

However, we suddenly came upon a strange sight. A large craft made from the broken pieces of ships was being assembled by aqua droids. Trident Assault droids swam around them.

 _"Wait a minute!"_ Master Kenobi said, narrowing his eyes at them. _"Aqua droids! Looks as though they're assembling assault craft!"_

"That's a lot of metal fish to catch," I said, trying to lighten the mood but failing.

 _"Anakin I was right. Those downed transports were hiding ships for an underwater assault. Anakin come in?"_ Master Kenobi said through the com.

"They're jamming us Master!" I informed him worriedly. The droids then began to approach us.

 **"Hold it right there. Do not move!"** One of them ordered.

"I think I will!" I said, both of us turning our subs away and hitting full throttle. Unfortunately a group of droids managed to grab onto our subs and started banging away at them. One shot the glass on Obi-Wan's and soon enough, another shot at my pod. Alarms started beeping as the glass cracked.

"Master…!" I said warningly.

 _"Eject from the pod! We'll have to swim from here!"_ He ordered, and clicked a button that released his cockpit from the sub. I did the same and our cockpits floated to the surface. The droids who weren't attached to the cockpits swam after us, firing their blasters. When the glass was about to break, we hit the eject button, which opened it up. I held my breath and activated my lightsaber, slicing through two droids that were in my way. I saw Master Kenobi do the same, and we swam towards the surface.

My face started to turn pale and I held my throat from the lack of air, starting to feel like I wouldn't make it in time. Fortunately, a few Aiwha creatures swam by and we managed to grab onto them. Noticing us, our two Aiwha swam to the surface and broke away from the water, heading to the city. I gasped for air and practically collapsed from exhaustion.

"Thanks for the lift friend," Master Kenobi managed to say.

"I am so not doing that again!" I exclaimed, causing Obi-Wan to chuckle.

Our good mood disappeared when we saw Trident Assault craft jump out of the water and land on the buildings, drilling into them. There had to be at least a dozen of them.

"Anakin, the city is under attack! We need you down here now!" Master Kenobi yelled into his comlink, the droids no longer jamming us.

 _"On my way,"_ I heard Anakin tell him.

"Well, this should be fun!" I said, mentally preparing myself for battle.

"Yes, perhaps I'll finally get to tell Grievous how I feel about him!" Master Kenobi remarked.

"That would be a sight to see," I said with a grin.

* * *

We landed near one of the city platforms and ran inside, rushing through the hallways to where we felt the battle to be at its strongest point. As we ran I noticed a trio of battle droids coming up ahead, and activated my lightsaber. Master Kenobi did the same. Hearing the noise, the droids quickly turned around.

"Ahh! Jedi!" One yelled. They all started shooting, and we deflected the bolts back. I leaped forward and kicked one down before decapitating another. Master Kenobi sliced through the last one before we continued through the hallway. Eventually we reached a hallway that was open to the outside, and noticed a group of 501st clones pinned down. They fought bravely, but were slowly being overrun.

Master Kenobi held out his hand, sending three aqua droids off the side before we entered the same hallway. We cut down the droids close to the group quickly, and then focused our attention on the others down the hall. As I deflected the shots back at our attackers, I noticed a B1 trying to sneak up on me. Before I could attack it however, it was stabbed by Master Skywalker, who joined our line of the Jedi shield.

"Sorry I'm late!" Anakin said.

"Oh, how nice of you to join us!" Obi-Wan remarked.

We continued to deflect blaster fire, while the clones shot back, taking down a few droids, however they were all fairly well armored. Master Kenobi managed to make an observation of the amount of Trident Assault ships outside.

"There aren't enough droids here to capture the city. They're trying to distract us!" he said. I did a quick mental count and realized he was probably right. Sure, destroying the whole city would definitely swing the war in the Separatists favor, but the Command Center holds a lot of intel about the GAR and its strategies.

"Anakin, you protect the DNA room! Jarik and I will handle Grievous!"

Anakin nodded, blocking another shot. "I'm on it!" He ran off down the hall, while we continued to fend the droids off.

* * *

After fending off the patrol of aqua droids, me and Master Kenobi headed down the halls in search of Grievous. With Anakin at the DNA room, and Master Ti at the Command Center, that meant Grievous was most likely at the barracks, which was our next destination. The lights were all red in the event of the emergency, and we turned a corner to see a squad of droids entering a room with Grievous watching.

"All to easy," he remarked in morbid amusement. We stepped forward, Obi-Wan with a confident smirk while I had my lightsaber hilt in my hand.

"Define, easy General," he said.

Grievous turned around and glared at us hatefully.

"Kenobi, Shan... at last!" Grievous exclaimed with gleeful anger.

Master Kenobi activated his lightsaber with a twirl, pointing it at Grievous with his famous salute while I activated mine and held it with both hands at my side, my face alight from the blue glow. Grievous activated two of his from his belt and we all stood in a standoff.

After a few moments, Obi-Wan charged forward, and I followed. Grievous spun his sabers before blocking a strike from Obi-Wan. I twirled through the air and sent a horizontal strike at Grievous's right side, who blocked it. He then swung at me from his left and I duck back. Me and Master Kenobi engaged in a quick flurry of strikes, all of which Grievous blocked or parried, sending his own offensive attacks at us.

We quickly got into a blade lock before Grievous took me by surprise, kicking me away from him. I slide across the floor, gasping from my breath being taken away as I sat up. I then noticed Grievous advancing on Obi-Wan who was lying on the ground.

"Kenobi, Kamino has fallen. You're clone army is dooomed!" Grievous stated victoriously, using his extra claws for emphasis. I got up and quickly moved towards him.

"I beg to differ Grievous!" Obi-Wan retorted, grinning after seeing me advance.

I used he force to violently lift him off his feet and slam him into the ceiling. He growled angrily as he fell to the floor, lightsabers deactivating as he did so. Obi-Wan then quickly stood up, using the force to fling him towards through the air, where I had to duck to avoid the flying General. He hit the wall and landed like a crab, growling in rage as he crawled away.

We gave each other a look before taking off after him.

"Well, if he wasn't already, he's certainly unhappy now Master!" I said between breaths.

"Let's see if we can make his day worse, my young Padawan!"

* * *

We managed to follow Grievous outside to one of the outstretched walkways. Then he just seemed to disappear. We deactivated our lightsabers and stood in the middle of the platform and looked around.

"I can sense him, but where is he?" I questioned in frustration. We then heard a mechanical whirring sound behind us and turned around to see General Grievous.

"Right there I believe," Master Kenobi quipped.

Grievous activated his lightsabers and began to spin them very fast, cutting up the ground in front of him. He advanced towards us menacingly while we readied ourselves.

An assault ship then began to climb up the side of the balcony while we circled each other, making to platform wobble a little bit. I looked at it nervously while Grievous laughed in delight at our hesitancy. All of a sudden, one of the ships legs came down and smashed the walkway, breaking it apart and sending the platform over. Me and Obi-Wan slid on the still wet surface, trying to hang on but fell off into the ocean. Master Kenobi managed to use the force to lessen our impact in the water so that it wouldn't feel like actual ground.

Thankfully, the Aiwha creatures from before were nearby and gave us a lift back into the air.

"We've got to stop meeting like this my friend!" Master Kenobi remarked, patting this on the side. I rubbed the head of mine as well. "Almost feels like a cliche holomovie moment," I remarked with a grin.

* * *

Quickly after that fiasco, the invasion was put to a stop, and Grievous and Ventress escaped the battle. It was a rather important victory, and I almost feel like Ahsoka would be jealous if she were here right now. Well, until next time I guess.

Also I had heard that Captain Rex and Cody promoted two troopers to the rank of ARC trooper. Good for them. Force knows how much help we need in this war.


	14. Chapter 13 - Hunt for Ziro

This morning when I woke up, I noticed that the shared quarters I have with Master Kenobi in the Temple were empty, with just me. I look around and then notice a message on the desk from Master Kenobi, telling me to make my way to the Temple docks as soon as possible. With a shrug, I put on my Padawan outfit and make my way to the Cafeteria to pick up a quick breakfast. I eat my food as I quickly head to the docks, and nod respectfully to a few Jedi that pass by me.

Soon enough, I reach the docks where Master Kenobi is waiting for me on the outside platform.

"Morning Master," I say.

"Good morning Padawan. You get your food just fine?" he asks me.

I nod. "Yup. So what's our assignment for today?" I ask him.

"Recently, Ziro the Hutt escaped from prison with the help of bounty hunter Cad Bane. It's our job to locate him and return him to prison." Master Kenobi says. I nod my head, although I get the feeling that there's something he isn't telling me.

Soon enough, Commander Cody then arrived at the platform and gave us a salute. "General, Commander," he said.

"Ah Cody, good to see you made it." Master Kenobi said in greeting. However Cody noticed something that was wrong with Master Kenobi just as I did.

"Sir, you seem troubled." Cody asks him with confusion. I give Master Kenobi a look.

He looks a bit nervous when he speaks. "Quinlan Vos has that effect."

I raise an eyebrow at him in surprise. No wonder he seems nervous then. Of course I'd heard of the legendary Quinlan Vos, known for his unorthodox methods and tracking skills. This was certainly going to be a very interesting mission.

"Ah, yes. That Jedi has quite a reputation." Cody says in understanding.

Master Kenobi shakes his head. "That may be overstating it, Cody. Let's just say he's crazy."

"Why crazy? Is this another secret history that I need to tease you about Master?" I ask him with a grin.

"No! No there is no secret history, although he has an... acquired taste," he quickly says with a frown. I give off a small smirk. "Definitely teasing you."

Before Master Kenobi can respond, Cody points towards an approaching gunship. "Ship entry from the west, Sir." Cody said as the gunship hovers above the platform. I watch as a Jedi with dreadlocks looks down at us with an excited grin.

"Hey, Kenobi." Quinlan says, jumping from the gunship and landing in front of us.

I cross my arms in amusement while Cody lets off a small laugh. Already I could tell why Master Kenobi would be hesitant around Quinlan. Already I could tell they were like polar opposites, with one the crazy and outgoing guy, and the other the more reserved type.

"Hey, Commander. Looking good. Kenobi, you look worse for wear. How's temple life?" Quinlan asks. I hold a hand up to my mouth to stifle my laugh. Master Kenobi simply stares at Quinlan with narrowed eyes, letting that be his answer. Quinlan just shrugs.

"Good to see you too."

"Yes, well, if you could tell time half as well as you could stick a landing, we wouldn't be behind schedule, now would we?" Master Kenobi says, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Well, that's your opinion, man. Who's the young one?" Quinlan asks, taking notice of me.

"This is my Padawan, Jarik Shan." Master Kenobi says.

Quinlan gives me a michevious smirk. "Pleasure to meet ya."

"Hey there," I say, giving him a casual wave. He blinks at me before turning to Master Kenobi with a smile. "You sure you've taught this one? He seems more fun than you." Quinlan says, gaining a sigh from Obi-Wan.

"Come on Master, surely you can handle Master VI's if you taught Master Skywalker," I say teasingly to Master Kenobi. Quinlan chuckles at my comment.

"Truer words have never been spoken dude."

Master Kenobi coughs to get our attention. "Well, if we're done fooling around, let's get down to business. Ziro the Hutt was broken out during a hostage takeover," he informs us.

Quinlan waves his hand in disinterest. "Yeah, I read the briefing about that mess."

"I suspect Jabba the Hutt is behind this. He still has it out for Ziro over the kidnapping of his son." Master Kenobi theorizes.

Quinlan thinks for a moment. "Well, my information indicates that Ziro has damaging evidence against the Hutt council. My guess is they've taken him to the Hutt home planet Nal Hutta."

"Nal Hutta?" I ask with a small frown. "Well at least it's not Geonosis."

"Speaking of which, as for this bounty hunter Cad Bane, we must capture and return both he and his quarry Ziro to the courts." Master Kenobi says as we walk towards the shuttle waiting for us.

"I trust we can keep eyes forward in this common goal?" Master Kenobi asks Quinlan, eyeing him suspiciously.

"No problem. I owe Bane one anyway. I'll fly, you're my co-pilot." Quinlan says, lightly smacking Obi-Wan in the chest before rushing inside. Master Kenobi sighs in exasperation.

"I was afraid he'd say that," he mutters. I throw him a grin. "I think he's kind of cool."

"And of course you'd think that too."

We enter the ship and I look back at Cody, who is waiting by the ramp.

"Not coming along Cody?" I ask him. He shakes his head.

"No sir. I won't be joining you on this mission." Cody tells me.

"Well, I'll inform you on all the fun details when we get back," I say with a small wave. Cody nods with a small salute. "Will do sir," he says.

Our shuttle takes off once I enter and we head off to Nal Hutta in the hopes of apprehending Ziro and Cade Bane. I wonder how this will go.

* * *

Once we enter hyperspace, Quinlan turns to me with a curious expression. Oh boy.

"So man, what's it like being the Padawan of the esteemed General Kenobi?" he asks me. Master Kenobi sighs as I think about it.

"Well it's certainly not boring that's for sure. It can be fun, insightful, adventurous and amusing all at the same time." I tell him honestly. He throws Master Kenobi a smirk.

"You should take some lessons from your Padawan some time Kenobi. He's got personality." Quinlan says. I hide my laugh as Master Kenobi rolls his eyes.

"I think the highlights so far were our time on Mandalore and the Geonosian Queen's cave." I say, thinking about what we've done so far. Obi-Wan sits up in a small amount of alarm.

"Don't talk about Mandalore Jarik. It's not that important." Master Kenobi tells me. I raise my hands in surrender while Quinlan laughs.

"You mean the life of Obi-Wan and the Duchess? I heard about that from a while ago. That was when Kenobi was a lot more fun!" he says with a smirk. Master Kenobi looks away in irritation and embarrassment, and I stifle a laugh behind my hand.

This won't be a Mandalore issue with Duchess Satine, but I still think that this will be a most fun trip to be a part of.

* * *

In due time our shuttle arrived at Nal Hutta. It wasn't very pretty looking, as I noted the ugly brown and green colors covering the whole surface. Why anyone would want to live here is beyond me.

Once our ship landed in our spot we reserved, we walked out and headed to the pub where the Hutt family meets together. Gamorean guards escorted us into the main room, where the Hutta seem to be throwing a party. Of course from what I've heard, they always throw parties. And if there was an odd person in our little group, it would be Quinlan. Sure I crossed my arms more casually than what Master Kenobi was doing, but all the dreadlocks and wildness Quinlan seemed to possess made him stand out like a sore thumb. Music immediately stopped playing and everyone looked at us once we entered the room. Like always.

One of the Hutts, Gardulla I believe, begins to speak, and a protocol droid translates for us.

"How goes the war, gentlemen?" the droid says.

"Great Gardulla, we bring unfortunate news. Ziro the Hutt has escaped our custody with the aid of the bounty hunter Cad Bane." Master Kenobi says.

(Gardulla/MF-80) "The Great Gardulla already knows this, Jedi Knights." The Hutt acts like she is above us. Whatever.

"I'm beginning to think you're the ones who broke him out." Quinlan says suspiciously, out of nowhere. I blink in surprise but decide to let it play out. The Hutts always knew something about the criminal world.

Gardulla sounds offended as she responds angrily. (Gardulla/MF-80) "And why would the great Hutt families do such a thing?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Quinlan says accusingly.

Master Kenobi gives Quinlan a glare. "Quinlan, the Hutts are our allies."

"All we wanted to do was deliver the message in case you had anything to tell us," I say to the Hutts. The calm down, although only slightly. While I'm saying this, Quinlan picks up a cup that was laying on the floor and examines it for a moment.

(Gardulla/MF-80) "Mighty Gardulla says you are lucky to be with a Jedi as wise as Kenobi, or you might not be allowed to leave here alive. Even a simple child knows better."

I frown at being called a simple child and roll my eyes. If only they knew. Meh. Not like I want a Hutts approval anyways.

"Maybe next time I'll come alone, hmm?" Quinlan asks rhetorically, placing the cup back on a tray.

"As my Padawan stated, we only came to deliver the message. We should be leaving now." Master Kenobi said. We bowed to the Hutts and left the room, and I sigh in relief. It was starting to smell in there.

"Ziro was here. He was holding one of those cups." Quinlan tells us. I eye him in surprise. All he had to do was hold a cup and stare st it and he immediately knew who had it. Impressive.

"Nice work." Master Kenobi says. Rare compliment.

"How did you figure that out by looking at a simple cup?" I ask him in bemusement.

"Let's just say it's a special ability I have." Quinlan tells me with a grin.

"They are most likely holding Ziro in a holding cell. We'll check there first." Master Kenobi decides. We nod in agreement and head down the building to where they may have Ziro in a cell. Once we reach the prison area, we find two dead guards on the floor.

"You'd think the 'mighty Hutt Clan' would have better security." I remark.

Me and Obi-Wan head over to an open cell while Quinlan looks around the room with narrowed eyes. We found the cell to be completely empty.

"Looks like Ziro escaped." Master Kenobi says.

"I think he had help." Quinlan theorizes.

"Help from who?" I ask.

"Either way, we better hurry." Master Kenobi says. We leave the cells and run out of the building to track down Ziro, following after Quinlan.

* * *

The three of us exited the town and started heading through the swamp, Quinlan leading us in the right direction. The whole place is disgusting and a little smelly, and green fog covers the whole place. Why the Hutts want to live here is beyond me.

"For a big slimy Hutt, Ziro is surprisingly fast!" I exclaim, taking a small moment to catch my breath.

"It helps when said Hutt has a friend with them." Quinlan says, stopping a moment to get a lay of the surroundings.

"I understand your tracking talent, but why wouldn't Ziro leave the planet? Why not just fly away?" Master Kenobi asks in confusion.

"My senses tell me that he's still here." Quinlan responds. I jump onto a small branch to get a view of the land, then jump back to the ground after seeing nothing.

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "It's illogical. He knows he's being looked for here." Master Kenobi says in disagreement.

Quinlan kneels on the ground and examines some of the dirt, then gets up to move to another area. "Something is keeping him here." he says.

"If we'd brought a droid, this would go faster." Master Kenobi says in frustration. I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe he doesn't have a ship? I mean he did escape from the Hutts prison." I point out.

"I suppose your right." Master Kenobi says thoughtfully.

Then out of nowhere, a giant watery dragonsnake leapt out of the water and coiled around Obi-Wan, roaring at him. He sturggled against it before holding its mouth away.

"What the heck?!" I exclaim in surprise, getting out my lightsaber. I slash the creatures body and it roars in pain, loosening its grip on Obi-Wan. He then activates his own lightsaber and stabs the creature through the head, killing it instantly.

"Well that came out of nowhere," I remark, deactivating my lightsaber."

Quinlan stands next to the dragonsnake, watching us. "Are you two finished messing around? We're trying to catch Ziro, remember?"

"Hey now, Master Kenobi probably just wanted to greet a new friend." I tell him. Quinlan gives off a small laugh. "Quite the character huh," he says with a grin.

Master Kenobi rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Back to the matter at hand, do you know which way have they gone?" he asks Quinlan.

Quinlan gives him a stare of disinterest. "Well, since you're suddenly so interested in my tracking abilities, they went this way." he says, pointing in the direction behind him.

"Ha, I never doubted you." Master Kenobi says sarcastically, running in the direction that Quinlan had pointed out to us.

I rolled my eyes at Obi-Wan's sarcasm and followed after the two Jedi as we jumped across the swamp.

* * *

Later on in our search, Quinlan was leading us past a large tree trunk sticking out of the mud when he looks behind us.

"Someone's coming," he says.

Me and Master Kenobi give us a glance before the three of us rush underneath a large root sticking out of the ground. I started to here the noise of a swamp speeder headed our way and soon enough, one passes by us. I could just make out the shape of a droid piloting the speeder and a figure wearing a large hat sitting in it.

Once the speeder goes by, the three of us walk out of cover. If Ihad to guess that was most likely the bounty hunter Cad Bane.

"Looks as if we're not the only ones after Ziro." Master Kenobi says.

"Guess Bane wants to make sure his prize doesn't get away," I remark.

* * *

After hiding from Bane, we continued on our trek through the swamp and eventually came upon an old worn down hut in the middle of a pool of swamp water and tree roots. I scrunch my face up. "Somebody must really like the swamp if they want to live out in this piece of crap." I say.

"Oh hush Jarik," Master Kenobi scolds me.

"What? You know its true." I say as we jump over to the pier connected to the house. We walk up to the door and Master Kenobi moves forwards. "We must be cautious," he warns us.

Apparently to Quinlan, cautious means take out your lightsaber and cut down a large door, kicking it for good measure to create much noise. I stare at him in surprise as he rushes into the house.

"Vos, somebody lives here!" Master Kenobi exclaims angrily.

Quinlan ignores him and disappears into the house without a glance.

"Not very subtle." I remark.

"That's not even the half of what he does," Master Kenobi responds in exasperation. We start to head into the house more slowly.

"I'm halfway admiring him, and also halfway unsure of his attitude to strangers." I tell him, but then I start to gag, holding my nose.

What. The. HECK?! It smells awful here! Did somebody gut a couple dozen Geonosian zombies or what?!

"Smells like somebody died here." I hear Quinlan say ahead of us.

"Break in my house, will you, smart guy?" A deep baritone voices says angrily. We walk into a large room and it takes all my willpower not to let my jaw drop in shock at the sight. It's covered in bugs and slime, and has some weird starfish slugs crawling all over it. Uuuugghh.

"Thousand pardons, madam. He hasn't mastered the concept of knocking. For that, I apologize." Master Kenobi says in apology. I lean in close to him.

"How do you know its a woman?" I whisper to Master Kenobi. He shoots me a glance before the massive Hutt speaks up again.

"I got trouble for you too, Mr Fancy pants." she tells us angrily, throwing one of the slug creatures at Quinlan, who dodges it, all the while holding his nose to block out the smell. I've resorted to breathing through my mouth instead of my nose right now. It almost helps me a little bit.

"There is no need for trouble. We're not here to harm you." Master Kenobi says placatingly.

The Hutt rolls ..her.. eyes. "That'll be a first for tonight."

We look at her in confusion. "Meaning?" Master Kenobi asks.

"Meaning first my deadbeat son and his limp-lipped girlfriend come in and sponge me out of my Starship. Then some slime sap and his droid charge in and force me to give up the skinny on where Ziro's headed," the Hutt tells us... wait is this Ziro's MOM? Holy #$%!

"Big hat?" Quinlan asks.

"Yeah. Chad something out for blood. You want to kill my little boy too?" The Hutt demands.

"Oh, no, madam, but if we don't find him before Bane does, your son will not be so lucky." Master Kenobi tells her.

After a moment, the Hutt concedes."Teth. Ziro's heading for Teth."

Quinlan turns to look at us. "We need to get to that jungle planet. We need to get there fast."

We both nod in agreement and immediately rush out of there, Master Kenobi not even bothering to leave properly this time.

"Hey, who's going to pay for my door?" The Hutt demands of us. Not like it can go through a door anyways, just sitting there and eating herself full all day. I didn't ever want to visit Nal Hutta ever again. Add that to my disliked planet list, which currently holds two planets. We rush all the way back to our shuttle at the Hutt village, which unfortunately takes some time. Why we never traveled here in the shuttle in the first place is beyond me.

* * *

Once we arrive at Teth out of hyperspace, we land the shuttle on top of a series of tall cliffs surrounding an area inside. We walk out and look over the ledge, seeing the distant forms of Ziro and a mummified Hutt. All three of us leap off of the cliff and land in front of Ziro and the Hutt corpse. We walk up to Ziro to discover that he is infact dead.

"Well, that's unfortunate. Is that, 'mission complete' now?" I ask.

"I'm just wondering who could've done this," Master Kenobi says.

I then here the noise of something and turn around, Obi-Wan following suit. There stands a Duros bounty hunter in a brown trench and large hat, along with his floating droid assistant.

"Bane." Master Kenobi says.

Huh, he does have a big hat.

"Looks like we're both too late for the party." Bane says, sounding disappointed.

"So this is not your handiwork?" Master Kenobi says, gesturing to Ziro's body.

"No, I wouldn't have made such a sloppy kill. Doesn't seem like much sense hanging around here or making any trouble between us." Bane says, circling us. I roll my eyes.

"And yet you were waiting behind a wall for us to arrive." I point out.

"And you forgetting how you held the Senate hostage?" Master Kenobi reminds him.

"And when you stole a Jedi Holocron?" I offer.

"We may not be capturing Ziro today, but you are going to prison." Master Kenobi says, point at Bane.

Bane rubs his fingers in disinterest before suddenly going serious. "Well, now that you mention it, the Separatists are paying a million credits a head for a Jedi."

Bane held his hands over his two blaster pistols, and the three of us narrowed our eyes at him. I held my hand over my lightsaber and was waiting for the moment to pull it out.

Bane makes the first move, pulling out a pistol and blasting at us while running away, his droid following him. We all activate our lightsabers and deflect the shots that Bane sends our way, giving chase.

While we run after him, Bane jumps over a rock and throws a grappling rope at Quinlan, trapping his feet. Seeing that he isn't in any immediate danger, me and Obi-Wan continue our chase, blocking blaster bolts as Bane continues to run. Once we make it outside the cliffside ring, Bane turns around and jumps backwards off a cliff, shooting at us all the while. At first I think he's crazy, but then he skillfully lands on a rock and continues to shoot at us, retreating across the chasm.

Me and Master Kenobi give chase, leaping across rocks all the while blocking the occasional blaster bolt coming our way. Say what you will about Cad Bane, but he sure knows what he's doing when it comes to a fight.

Once Quinlan catches up to us, Bane shoots at the pillar that Master Kenobi is standing on, causing it to fall off the cliffside. Obi-Wan just barely manages to grab onto the ledge, and I move to help him up as Quinlan jumps passed us after Bane.

When I help Master Kenobi back onto a stable rock, I notice Bane about to shoot a dazed Quinlan, and jump off the pillar towards him. As Bane looks up, I extend my hand and use the force to shove Bane off of the cliffside, causing him to lose his grip on his blaster bolt. I kick it off the side and Master Kenobi lands on the rock next to me. We peer over the edge where Bane looks up at us from his position on the rocks.

All of a sudden I sense movement behind me and glance back to see his droid charging at me with Quinlan's lightsaber.

"What in the world?" I exclaim in surprise, move to the side and grabbing the lightsaber from the droid, then flinging it off of the cliff. Bane then uses his rocket boots to fly up to us and starts shooting with his remaining blaster. Me and Master Kenobi block the shots, and Obi-Wan manages to land a perfect redirect on his other blaster, knocking it away. He growls in pain for a moment before firing some sort of device at us from both his gauntlets. We block them and Master Kenobi leaps over him as he moves to fly away, stopping him from moving. However Bane manages to catch Obi-Wan by surprise by using a flamethrower, causing Master Kenobi to have to jump away to another rock to stay out of range.

I then leap at Bane from my position, and kick him in the face just as he turns around. To my surprise, Bane kicks my left hand which is holding Quinlan's lightsaber, and manages to snag it out of the air.

"Ha ha!" he laughs, charging at me with the saber. He swings a few times, and I easily block his attacks before disarming him with a simple twisting movement. Before I can attack Bane again, he shoulder charges me and knocks me off the cliff, where I manage to grab onto a ledge below where I was originally.

"Oh come on!" I groan.

Master Kenobi then jumps for Bane, and then I can't see what happens next, as I'm struggling to climb up the side of the cliff. I then hear Master Kenobi scream in pain and the sound of electricity, making my look up in shock before I try to climb even faster. By the time I pull myself over the ledge, Bane is flying off towards his ship with Quinlan jumping after him. Obi-Wan lies on the ground, shaking a little. I run over to his side.

"Master! Are you alright?!" I ask him worriedly. He groans for a few moments before he slowly gets up.

"I'll live Jarik. Come one, we must keep moving!" He tells me, and I clip the two lightsabers to my belt. Master Kenobi leaps over to Bane and Quinlan, who is currently dodging a flamethrower, and I jump after them. Master Kenobi pushes Quinlan along and we continue our chase before we get to a small bit of fog, which suddenly lights up. Realizing what is about to happen, we get down as fast as we can and are forced to hang off of the cliff ledge. I watch as Bane's ship flies away, feeling a sense of defeat and disappointment.

"I never did enjoy hanging out with you," Master Kenobi says, causing Quinlan to grin at him. Once we pull ourselves up the cliff ledge, I hand Master Vos his lightsaber.

"As Master Kenobi says, this weapon is you life. Don't lose it Master Vos!" I tell him. Obi-Wan sighs while Quinlan lets out a laugh, slapping me on the back.

"Glad you could make use of it man!" He tells me happily.

Certainly not the best trip I've been on, but it certainly wasn't boring either.


	15. Chapter 14 - Time Change in the War

A year has gone by during the Clone Wars. Me and Ahsoka are now 15 and a half years old instead of 14, and have managed to earn quite a reputation amongst the Republic and Separatist forces. We weren't as famous as the Skywalker-Kenobi team of course, but we were still pretty well up there, being known as the Shan-Tano duo nowadays. I've been given the "Heroic" name of "The Slicer," by the media, and Ahsoka was more known as the "Fierce Commander."

Yeah, the media can come up with many strange names, but whatever. It's not like we can stop them once they get out there. Unless I manage to invite a virus that eliminates those ideas all over the holonet. Although that would be illegal, and I'm not that good, even if I'm one of the best, so no.

Master Kenobi, Anakin, Ahsoka and I have also gotten new looks. Instead of battle armor robes Masters Kenobi and Skywalker have now adopted more traditional looking Jedi robes. I've added a thin cowl to my look, which is basically a dark grey colored scarf that goes halfway down my back which matches the color of my Jedi robes. I didn't add a hood with the cowl though because that would seem stupid. Ahsoka changed her outfit to be a more covered Padawan skinsuit that ends in the skirt, with cloth bracers along her arms. She of course kept her traditional Togrutan tie on her waist. She also got herself a new shoto-blade at Master Skywalker's suggestion.

Me? I still use one lightsaber blade, but due to my favoritism of Makashi, Master Kenobi suggested I modify my lightsaber a little bit. Instead of a straight saber-hilt, it's now slightly curved to better affect my performance with Makashi. The curve isn't as drastic as Dooku's saber, but is more at the halfway point in-between his and a straight hilt. _**(think of Ahsoka's curved hilts in Rebels)**_

Currently I was sitting in my quarters at the Jedi Temple, meditating at the instruction of Master Kenobi. Thankfully I've improved in my abilities with using the Force, yet I'm not equal to Ahsoka yet, since she naturally has more power. Master Kenobi felt that meditation would do me some good in centering myself in the Force, allowing me to become more attuned with it. I then hear the door slide open to my quarters, but do my best to ignore it. Someone walks over to me. Perfect.

"Hey, little Jari. Let's go do something." Ahsoka's voice says, now sounding more mature than it did a year ago.

I scrunch up my face a little bit and do my best to ignore her.

"Come on Jarik. I know you'd rather do anything else right now," she says teasingly. I refuse to give in! She then sighs.

"It's almost time to eat anyways."

Tat does it. I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling in a pleading look. _"Oh Force why me?"_

 _"Because I'm bored! Let's go!"_ Ahsoka exclaims mentally. Forgot I was talking through our bond.

"Fine, I see your point," I finally say, checking my right gauntlet. "It's practically time for me to finish anyways. So why are you bored right now?" I ask, getting up from my position on the floor.

"Anakin has been busy for a while, Barriss is off with Master Luminara, and I've got nothing else important to do. Although Senator Amidala has invited me and Skyguy to attend a Senate Meeting later today," she said. I throw her a look.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard wrong. I believe I heard you say, "Senate," meeting?" I asked her disbelievingly. She rolled her eyes. "Yes I did."

I throw my hands in the air. "Why don't I just go back to meditation then?" I say loudly.

Ahsoka giggles at my response. "It's not really for attending the meeting, but more as spending some time with Padme." She told me. I give her a skeptical stare. "A Senator? So what?" I ask her, not seeing the point.

"Padme is actually one of the nicest people I know, and I think you should get to meet her! I know you may find that ridiculous, but trust me on this. Padme is tougher than a nest of Gundarks if she has to get into a fight."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Well, then that gives her some points in my book." I admit. After all, it was rare for Ahsoka to give someone praise besides her close friends, so that meant this Senator Amidala must truly be that epic of a character.

"Alright, you got my attention. Lead the way, O' Fierce Commnder," I say with a small bow. She shakes her head in amusement and punches me in the shoulder. "Keep that up, and I'll show you how it feels to get Sliced little Jari." She tells me. I rub my shoulder from her punch and shrug my shoulders. "Fair enough," I say. I hope this Senate meeting isn't going to be a load of crap. It probably will but it doesn't hurt to learn things right?

Wrong. It totally does.

Now that I'm thinking about things on our way to the Senate building, my mind starts to come back to the strange dreams I've been getting recently. Whenever I've been in deep meditation with Master Kenobi or sleeping on my own, Some weird dreams, or visions have slowly started to pop into my head. I haven't told anyone about them yet, not even Ahsoka, but that's I currently see them as anything to worry about. Although they do interest me.

Every time I have one of these dreams, there is always a shadowy figure standing far away from me, wearing a dark cloak and some sort of armor, and whose head shines from light reflecting off of a golden mask. I always get a sense of familiarity from the man, Yet I don't know why.

* * *

 _Three guess on who Jarik is seeing in his visions? ;)_


	16. Chapter 15 - Heroes on Both Sides

"Order. Order. Let Senator Saam finish," Mas Amedda said.

"This is a matter not of philosophy," the Senator speaks out demandingly. "More troops are needed. The Republic cannot afford to let the Separatists gain any more ground."

Senator Organa spoke out against the call. "Our generals inform us that troops in the field continue to perform valiantly. What we cannot afford, is to be irresponsible. The Republic is near bankruptcy due to the cost of this war."

"Bankruptcy is not necessary, my friends. If we pass Senator Saam's bill to open new lines of credit, we will gain access to the needed funds," Senator Lott Dod said, a few others agreeing.

Senator Morgan didn't like the idea. "Won't this bill essentially deregulate the banks?"

"A small price to pay to finance the war, is it not?" Senator Burtoni from Kamino said.

Soon Senators began yelling for the war to go on. I really hated politics. Most of the time it was just endless arguments and debate that never got solved doing anything. Sometimes I get the feeling Senators hate each other more than Grievous hates Master Kenobi! I rolled my eyes at all of the bickering.

Senator Amidala seemed fed up with the discussion. She stood up and moved her pod into the center. "Members of the Senate. Do you hear yourselves? More money, more clones, more war. Say nothing of fiscal responsibility, what about moral responsibility? Hasn't this war gone on long enough?" I let out a small smile. Finally, a politician who actually had good intent.

Senator Saam seemed to disagree. "Senator Amidala, are you suggesting we surrender to the Separatists?"

"Of course not," Senator Amidala stated. But negotiation might be a better course of action."

Senator Mot-Not Rab seemed appalled and disbelieving of the suggestion. "You can't negotiate with those animals. Keep the war going. Vote now!"

I gave a long sigh and shook my head. "This is ridiculous."

Ahsoka nodded.

"I hear you Jarik," she said in agreement.

Senator Organa attempted to calm the crowd. "Members of the Senate, I suggest we table any emergency bill until it is determined whether or not deregulation is the right course of action."

"Very well. We shall let calmer heads prevail," Mas Amedda said, ending the discussion.

Me, Ahsoka and Master Skywalker exited the Senate Chambers after this, and eventually met up with Senator Amidala.

"It's good to see you again Anakin. You as well Ahsoka," she said. Then she took notice of me.

"Hello there, I don't think we've been introduced yet," she said kindly. I returned the smile.

"I'm Jarik Shan, Master Kenobi's Padawan senator," I said politely. We shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Master Kenobi is a good friend of mine, I'm sure we'll get along well."

We started walking down the hallway, and Senator Amidala and Master Skywalker got into a discussion. Me and Ahsoka took some time to catch up as well.

"She's very nice," I told her. Ahsoka nodded.

"She sure is. Probably one of the only senators I've ever met that isn't corrupt," she told me.

"That's cool. I've never liked politics because of how ridiculous it is. Everyone's always yelling at each other," I tell her. Ahsoka sent me a grin.

"I know that already. You've told me probably a million times," she said in exasperation. I grinned back mischievously.

"Truth needs to be told my little Togruta," I said, playful nudging her lekku.

She snapped my hand away. "Oh stop it Jarik."

Pretty soon Anakin and Senator Amidala seemed to be discussing something serious.

"You must ask the Jedi council to speak with Chancellor Palpatine," she told him. Anakin disagreed immediately.

"Don't involve me in this."

Me and Ahsoka shared a look while Senator Amidala pressed her reasoning. "A peaceful solution is the only way out of this morass of war."

"That's not my role, Padme," he said seriously.

"Why not?" Ahsoka said, moving forward into the conversation. "Why isn't it your role? Aren't we Jedi Knights? Isn't it our duty to speak our minds to advise the Chancellor?"

I jumped in as well. "Yeah Master. What's the point of being peacekeepers if we don't attempt the peaceful solutions first?"

Anakin hesitated, shooting us a warning glance.

"Uh, I suggest you teach the Padawan's a thing or two about politics," he told Senator Amidala.

Rude.

"After today's debate, I was hoping they learned a great deal," she said.

"Truthfully, I don't understand any of it," Ahsoka admitted. "I know the Separatists are evil, but all anyone argues about was banking deregulation, interest rates, and… well, almost nothing about why we're fighting in the first place."

"I just think it's dumb," I said without caring, before realizing my mistake.

"No offense," I pacified, noticing the look on Anakin's face. Padme gave a small laugh.

"None taken," she said.

"War's complicated Ahsoka," Anakin said, stepping in front of us. "But let me simplify it. The Separatists believe we're corrupt, which their wrong, and we have to restore order."

He gave a victorious smirk, but I gave a him an unimpressed stare.

"Amazing. What an incredible answer that I don't already know," I deadpanned, causing Ahsoka to stifle a small laugh.

Anakin looked at me in annoyance. "Are you sure you're Obi-Wan's Padawan?"

"I have his clever wit and quips," I said helpfully. Anakin rolled his eyes but I could see a small smile on his face.

"Maybe talking to the Jedi Council isn't the role for you after all," Padme said, walking around him.

"Thanks for your help. Come on Ahsoka, Jarik," she said, and we moved to follow her.

"Hey," Anakin said, sounding a little dejected.

"You told me to teach them about politics, so I'm going to," she said.

Definitely the best politician ever.

Me and Ahsoka looked back at Anakin. She gave a small smirk while I mouthed out a sentence back to him.

Get rekt.

He rolled his eyes and walked off to somewhere else. Jarik with one, Anakin zero.

* * *

Later that evening we were hanging out in Padme's office. She was staring at the window and Ahsoka was busy picking at her nails and leaning on the table. I was sitting in one of the desk chairs, reading a holo-pad about the latest funny story on the media. I may be a Jedi but I like to allow myself some entertainment whenever possible. Only Ahsoka knows that I do this.

"If only I could talk to Senator Bonteri," Padme said.

"Who's he?" Ahsoka asked.

"He is a she," she corrected. "A Senator in the Confederacy of Independent Systems."

This made me and Ahsoka look up in surprise.

"Your friend is a Separatist?" she asked in disbelief. "One of Dooku's pawns?"

"The Separatists used to be a part of the Republic. I was close to many of the Senators when they left," she explained. "I may not agree with them, but they're more than pawns."

"Well, why don't we call her up or talk to her and negotiate for peace?" I suggested.

"The Senate has made it illegal," Padme said in frustration. I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Illegal?" Ahsoka questioned.

"Seriously?"

"They say official meetings would only legitimize the Separatists," she explained to them. I scoffed at the dumb excuse.

"I'm pretty sure being at war with the Republic makes them legitimate. That's another thing for the list," I said, typing it down on the holo-pad.

"What list?" Ahsoka asked in interest, looking over my shoulder at the holo-pad.

"I made it list about the pros and cons of politics. I actually kind of like it!" I said proudly. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw the hint of a smile on Padme's face. Ahsoka snatched the holo-pad from my hands.

"Let me see that."

After reading it for a few moments she actually nodded her head.

"That's... actually pretty good," she admitted as she handed it back to me. Ahsoka then started walking around the table in thought.

"Well, Master Skywalker and I hold what we call aggressive negotiations all the time. It's a shame you can't hold more peaceful talks when you want," she said.

Senator Amidala turned around, her face shining with inspiration.

"You just gave me an idea. You two are Jedi, which gives you special clearance," she said. Me and Ahsoka looked at each other, confused.

"Right…" Ahsoka said questioningly.

"And Jedi are allowed to travel to neutral worlds like Mandalore, where we could then board a cargo ship to a Separatist System," she said, explaining her plan. I was surprised that a senator was willing to put herself in danger like this, but from what I've known of her so far it fits her character.

"Are you suggesting we use our status as Jedi to smuggle you behind enemy lines?" Ahsoka said with a smirk.

"It's just that you two could get us through to meet with her and I haven't seen her or her family in so long," Padme said anxiously.

"Relax, we'll help you!" Ahsoka said confidently. "Right Jarik?"

"Hmm?" I look up from my list to see Ahsoka's expectant face looking at me.

"Oh yeah, sure. I think that in the name of peace this is a good idea. Dangerous maybe, but good!" I nodded with a smile. Ahsoka sent me a smile before turning back to Padme.

"Besides, Master Skywalker did say to teach us about politics."

"Right," she replied with a smile.

"You know, you and Master Skywalker have much more in common then you think. It's no wonder you get along so well," Ahsoka told her as we moved to pack out things.

Padme seemed hesitant in replying. "Huh, of course."

For some reason she seemed nervous about that topic but I shrugged. Probably the idea of heading to a Separatist planet that got her so nervous.

"So… where are we headed to?" I asked.

"Raxus," she told us.

Brilliant. The Separatist homeworld was our next stop in the grand adventure of politics. This should be interesting.

* * *

After the cargo shuttle exited hyperspace, we got our first good look at the Separatist homeworld of Raxus. As I would expect, there was a massive fleet of Separatist warships surrounding it in a blockade, just like how Coruscant has its Star Destroyers. But unlike Coruscant, the whole thing wasn't a big city. It was surprisingly a beautiful looking environment with the city in the middle, looking quite peaceful. Me and Ahsoka gave each other looks of surprise and interest.

Once we landed, we made sure our cloaks were on to better hide our identities from security. Ahsoka and Padme has tan colored hoods while mine was more of a dark navy blue. I made sure to hide my lightsaber underneath the cloak so that it wouldn't be spotted.

As we walked off the ramp I noticed a droid ask for identification and grew nervous. If we were asked for anything we were done for. Another droid started moving towards us and I held a hand on my lightsaber underneath my hood. However we were saved by a random lady asking it a question. Another lady came up to us and helped us in the direction we were going.

"This way," she said.

Soon enough we came upon someone who turned around and smiled at us.

"Hello old friend," she greeted kindly.

"Ahsoka, Jarik, this is Mina Bonteri. She was my mentor when I was growing up on Naboo," Padme introduced us. I gave a small wave while Ahsoka eyed her in slight surprise.

"You're a Separatist?" Ahsoka asked hesitantly.

Oh boy.

Mina chuckled. "Well of course my dear, what were you expecting? Now come, I have a transport waiting," she told us, leading us to a waiting shuttle.

As they got closer to Mina's home, she informed us that it was okay to drop our disguises, since everyone with them were kind and loyal to Mina. The shuttle landed at her house, which was surprisingly beautiful. It rested on a hilltop with orange leafed trees surrounding it, giving the house a natural environment that would make people jealous.

We exited the shuttle carrying out things, which wasn't much as we didn't expect to stay for too long. I noticed a boy at the top of the steps a little older than me and Ahsoka, staring down at us.

"Lux! Come down here and help our guests with their luggage please!" Mina told him. He stood up straight and formal and walked down towards us. I noticed Ahsoka eyeing him and rolled my eyes at her suspicious behavior.

"Padme, it's so good to see you," Mina told her as they gave each other a hug.

"Yes. How things have changed since the last time we met," Padme replied. Mina led her towards the entrance.

"Let's go inside. There is much to discuss," she said.

Lux offered to carry Padme's briefcase inside and then came to me and Ahsoka.

"May I?" he asked, reaching for Ahsoka's case. She held it away and eyed him suspiciously.

"I can handle it," she said. The two stared at each other for a few moments before she walked on.

"I didn't offend her did I?" Lux asked me.

I thought for a moment. Ahsoka most likely developed her strong biased nature from Master Skywalker, as well as his personality traits. She isn't too fond of Separatists and has a suspicious nature of new people.

"Oh no, definitely not," I told him.

After we went inside and dropped off our belongings in the guest rooms, Lux went outside into the gardens while Mina, Padme, Ahsoka and I stayed inside. Mina and Padme were discussing ways of negotiating peace while sharing a small drink. Me and Ahsoka stood next to each other, listening in and sometimes looking around the room.

"He's grown so much Mina," she said, referring to Lux.

"Time won't stop, even if we are at war. And I'm afraid these events are shaping his young life," Mina says, handing Padme a drink.

I sensed Ahsoka about to say something.. questionable and cringed.

"With all due respect, as a Separatist, didn't you create this war?" she asked. She's certainly developed Anakin's straightforward attitude with things thats for sure.

I secretly elbowed her in the side.

 _"Not the best question Sweetie Horns,"_ I told her. Padme thought the same thing.

"Ahsoka!" she says scoldingly.

Mina waves her off. "It's all right. That's a very polarized point of view, my dear. Would it surprise you to know that many of the people you call Separatists feel the same way about the Republic and the Jedi? Lux's father was like that."

"Maybe we could speak with him?" I said politely.

Mina sighed however. "If only you could. A year ago next week, he was setting up a base on Aargonar when clones attacked. My husband fought bravely in self-defense, but was killed."

Immediately, feelings of guilt came from Ahsoka as she stared at her wide eyed before talking nervously.

"Excuse me. I think I'll get some air," she says, walking out the door.

I watch her walk out and then turn to Mina.

"Sorry if she offended you. She means well, its just that's her personality." I offer in apology.

"None taken Master Jedi," Mina says kindly. I offer a small smile before pointing at the door, scooting over.

"I'll, go hang out with Ahsoka," I say, quickly scuttling out the door after her. I quickly catch up to her as she walks down the hallway towards the gardens outside.

"Hey," I say comfortingly.

"Hey Jarik," she says, sounding a little sad.

"Look, I know you didn't mean offense. I'm sure she understands that too," I tell her reassuringly, putting an arm around her shoulders. She took some comfort in the soothing feelings I sent over our bond.

"Thanks Jarik, but that still doesn't mean it was right to say. I never expected Separatists to be so..." she trails off, not sure what to say.

"Kind? Normal?" I offer.

"One of those I guess," she says in agreement.

I shrug. "Eh, we learn something new every day."

Eventually I remove my arm from around her shoulders as we head outside, and I stop at the top of the steps, gazing at the garden while Ahsoka continues onward. Lux is sitting out here too apparently. As Ahsoka walks down the steps with her arms behind her back like a proper Jedi, oh my goodness, he takes notice of her lightsabers.

"You're a Jedi. Aren't you," he says, more as a statement then a question. Ahsoka turns to look at him.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" she says uncomfortably.

"Before the war, I was always told Jedi were good," he says.

Ahsoka stares at him inquisitively. "And now?"

He hops off of the railing and walks down the steps. I stare at him curiously, yet in the back of my mind I feel something I can't quite place... is that jealousy? No, of course not.

"I don't know anymore. There are a lot of terrible things happening," Lux says. "A lot of killing. And now my friends are saying the Jedi, are to blame."

I roll my eyes, walking down the top level of the steps after them.

"I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't I?" she asks him, continuing down the stairs. This is getting interesting.

"Well, yes," Lux admits.

She turns to look at him, crossing her arms and giving him a smirk. Mayday mayday, Ahsoka is warming up to a stranger.

"Look at me. I'm not so bad am I?" she asks. I stiffle my laughter at the innocent pose she shows, while Lux looks her up and down with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Not bad at all," he finally decides. Ahsoka scoffs and rolls her eyes in slight disgust. I smirk at Lux in amusement.

"Ugh. It seems boys are the same whether they're Republic or Separatist," she says.

"I think she's terrifying." I remark casually. Lux turns around in slight surprise, not realizing I was there while Ahsoka throws me a glare. I shrug at her. "What? It's true y'know."

"Do you want a repeat of the Meiloorun fruit Incident?" she asks threateningly.

I immediately pale and shake my head, backing away in surrender. Let's just say I pulled a prank on her involving Meiloorun's when we were younger... and she kicked my butt so hard. I learned to never attempt that again. She smirks at me victoriously.

"That's what I thought."

"Forgive me, but what, exactly happened?" Lux asks curiously, a little bit hesitant.

"Nothing!" We both exclaim at the same time.

I look away and cough nervously.

"I'm, uhh, I'm gonna go over here," I tell them, pointing towards a random area of the garden. I quickly jog away from the two while Ahsoka stares at me in surprise.

"Jarik?" she asks.

"Have fun with the Separatist Senator Soka!" I tell her cheerfully. Oh I'm so going to get it later, but this is all worth it.

 _"You are so dead Jarik,"_ she tells me. I mentally cringe at the threat. _"Worth it,"_ I answer back timidly. I can feel her silently scoff at me before Lux grabs her attention again.

While the two start to get all lovey-dovey, I head over to the edge of the small lawn of grass and sit on a bench, examining a few trees or the strange statue next to the bench. A glance over to see the two of them sitting at the Gazebo, simply chatting with each other. For some reason I started to get the weird feeling of jealousy sprout in my mind again when I thought of Lux. He seems like a good kid but I still get that urge to be annoyed with him, and I don't know why! It's not like they're dating or anything, we're Jedi for crying out loud!

I watch a couple of birds on the tree before letting out a tired sigh.

 _"Jarik..."_

I instantly sit up in confusion and look in Ahsoka's direction. To my surprise she isn't looking my way, and after a quick mental check, she never said anything. I must be losing it. With a shake of my head I lie back down on the bench.

 _"Jarik..."_

Ok, what is going on?! I stand back up quickly and look around me with wariness. There's no way I'm hallucinating this.

As I look around the garden I then notice something strange. Across the length of the lawn, standing just inside the treeline, is a strange figure watching me. I narrow my eyes at them but can't make out any details, other than the fact that the figure is a woman with black colored hair, and a tan colored tunic on. Who is that?

"-arik? Hello?"

An orange hand waving at me breaks me out of my intense stare-down with the woman, and I look at Ahsoka in surprise. Lux is standing a couple of feet behind her.

"You alright there?" she asked me in concern. I shake my head.

"Did you see that woman..." I start to point her out, but I falter mid-sentence as the woman I saw just a moment ago is now nowhere to be found. Ahsoka looks at where I started to point in confusion.

"There's no one there Jarik. Are you ok?" Ahsoka asks again. Startled, I just shake my head and ignore it.

"No, I'm alright. Just thought I saw someone," I try to tell her reassuringly. She gives me a skeptical glance but then let's it go.

"Alright. Well, we're about to head inside. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes according to Lux," she tells me.

I nod in confirmation. "Alright, I'll see you inside."

Giving me a final concerned glance, Ahsoka turns and walks inside after Lux, who was already heading up the stairs. I follow after her, but not before giving the spot I saw the woman one more glance.

* * *

The next morning, the four of us were all gathered in the Separatist Parliament building to see how the meeting would go. Hopefully this would be a lot more successful than the Republic Senate meetings. The buildings were definitely a lot more different. For starters, the Parliament met inside of a large chapel type of building, and was spread out in a long room with different seats for the Senators. A lot more different than the Senate building on Coruscant that's for sure.

"How many lives on both sides have to end before we see the futility? Surely there's room in the galaxy for Confederate and Republic planets to coexist. I move that we immediately open peace negotiations with Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant." Mina declares. This gains a few cheers of approval from the delegates. Already this seemed like a better group of government than our own, even if they're only pawns to Sith Lords without knowing it.

"The corporate alliance will never allow this to happen," Someone else exclaims in disagreement.

Another Senator speaks up in Mina's defense. "This is a democracy, and unlike the Republic, corporations do not rule us."

Normally I would take offense to what he said about the Republic, but I honestly don't care to much about the nature of politics. Leave that to those more capable in this field. Besides, this is a Separatist Senate, so what else should I expect? Open praise?

Speaking of which... the great Count himself. _"Quiet. In accordance with the bylaws of independent systems, a voice vote is required. All in favour of initiating peace negotiations with the Galactic Republic, say aye."_

If this was the first you'd ever heard of or know of Count Dooku, you'd think of him to be a kind and responsible man who believes in right. Ha.

The room filled with ayes including Senator Bonteri from the Count's proclamation.

 _"All those opposed,"_ Dooku asks. I can just barely hear the hope of more votes for this part. Almost.

Unlike the ayes, the nays were much less, clearly proving which side won the debate.

 _"The ayes have it."_

I give off a small grin at our success. With more votes in the Separatists ranks to ensure peace, Dooku would be forced to open peace negotiations with the Republic! Me and Ahsoka shoot each other looks of victory. Perhaps this war could finally be over, even if we still have Grievous, and the Sith in play.

* * *

Not long after the Senate meeting, Padme, Ahsoka and I were waiting by the docks with Mina and Lux as we were prepared to leave knowing our trip was happily successful.

"Well, this is good-bye," Padme says.

"I've been disappointed before, and yet, I almost feel as if this time the tide has turned in the war," Mina says with hope. "You should hurry. Good-bye, young ones."

"While I will gladly admit that I don't like politics at all, I will say that this has been a fun trip," I tell them.

"Sometimes we take for granted the things necessary in life to keep people safe, and protected. I can only hope that this trip of yours won't go to waste," Mina tells me wisely.

Lux steps forward. "You really believe the Republic will vote for peace?" he asks us skeptically.

"I hope so. I wouldn't want to meet you on the battlefield, for your sake," Ahsoka replied with a smirk.

The two give each other a stare and I quickly turn around to mockingly gag in secret. Oh great, the jealousy is back. Sensing my mocking attitude however, Ahsoka gives me a punch on the shoulder.

"Go, you three, quickly," Mina tells us.

We nod in goodbye and make our way towards the ship which woud be able to get us back to the Republic.

"So when are you two gonna date?" I ask Ahsoka. Her lekku turn a dark shade of purple in embarrassment and she glares at me.

"Jarik!"

* * *

After we arrived back on Coruscant, I was finally glad to get off the shuttle as fast as possible. When the opportunity presented itself on the ship, Ahsoka managed to trap me alone and scared the living Force out of me in her anger. Fortunately she is very forgiving towards me, so I got a free pass this time. However I was still nervous around her, and she knew this judging by the smug smile she sent me.

Currently we were waiting in the Chancellor's office with Senator Amidala as she informed him of the proposal by the Separatists.

"Well, well, well. This is quite a stunning development," he says with a smile.

"Your Excellency, we would be remiss, if not irresponsible, to reject the Separatists proposal," Padme says.

Palpatine nods, although it seems kind of strange to me. Whatever.

"Of course," he tells her kindly.

Padme continues to press her case. "An end to the fighting would mean there's no need to borrow money for more clones."

"I can see why you would want so badly to believe that the Separatists desire peace," Palpatine says, which makes me frown in confusion. Does he not.. want the peace between us? I share a strange glance with Ahsoka.

Padme notices too. "I don't understand."

"In the past, whenever we've reached out our hands in peace, they've been slapped away. Can we believe that they're ready to sue for peace so easily?" Palpatine tells her.

As the two go into a more private conversation, me and Ahsoka exchange troubled glances.

 _"Does he not want peace for the war?"_ I ask Ahsoka.

 _"I don't know. He seems kind and sincere, yet he doesn't look as thrilled as I thought he would,"_ Ahsoka admits.

We were brought out of our conversation when Palpatine speaks again.

"Then we shall put the vote to the floor," he declares proudly.

Me and Ahsoka give each other relieved smiles. We're so close, nothing can stop this now!

* * *

"Given that the Separatists have put a call for negotiations on the table, the need for additional troops seems ill-timed," Senator Amidala announces to the Senate.

Senator Organa nods in agreement. "Which means there is no need to deregulate the banks."

"I say we vote that down now," Another Senator says happily.

The Vice Chair for the Chancellor gets up. "There is a move to vote on the proposed bill to lift regulations on the Banking Clan. You may enter your vote."

All of the Senators began to put in their votes and I started to smile. Looks like the war will finally end today. Suddenly however, a warning from the Force rings in my mind, and Ahsoka and I glance at each other worriedly. The lights then go out, and I look around the building. The emergency lights come on, bathing the whole place in red.

"What? Wha's going on?" Ahsoka asks in surprise and confusion.

"Somebody must have blown up the Power Generator!" I tell her. I could hear the distant sound of alarms sounding outside, which fills me with worry. The whole city has been struck!

"We're under attack!" Senator Taa exclaims.

In the middle of the attack, the Senators returned to their booths while the problem was being investigated. I sigh in frustration.

"Guess Dooku found a loophole," I say bitterly. Ahsoka scowls.

"That Sith sleemo," she says angrily.

Eventually, the annoying Senator from before speaks up again. "The bombing of the power generator has been confirmed as a Separatist attack. They must pay for what they have done." Even from here I can sense that all he cares about is more war profit. What a piece of filth.

"But it was the Separatist Congress that issued the bill of peace," Senator Amidala argues.

"Obviously a tactic to lower our defenses and launch this attack," The Vice Chair retorts.

My expression falls as I realize what's about to happen. At this point it's inevitable.

"No. That's not true!" Padme says desperately.

"I move to immediately deregulate the banks," The Kaminoan Senator proclaims.

"We need a bank loan to get more troops now!" Another Senator says.

The whole Senate starts erupting into voices yelling in anger at the Separatists. here is a small minority that still wants peace unfortunately.

"I'm afraid we've been given little choice. To ensure the safety of the Republic, we must deregulate the banks," Chancellor Palpatine proclaims.

The Senate erupted in cheers, and I sigh bitterly, collapsing onto the bench. So much for our successful trip.

* * *

After the meeting, the three of us head down the halls to where Master Skywalker is waiting for us. No words need to be said, as we all understand how frustrating the situation is.

"I'm returning your Padawans," Padme tells him. He crosses his arms.

"I'm sorry your talks with Bonteri failed."

Uh oh.

"How did you know?" Ahsoka asks in surprise.

"We have eyes and ears everywhere you two. That was dangerous, and careless, not to mention illegal," Master Skywalker tells us sternly. "You went to far this time."

"At least we got close to being successful Master," I tell him as we begin to walk down the hallway.

"In the end it didn't matter Jarik," Anakin reminds me.

"You would do the same. You do the same all the time!" Ahsoka says in protest. He eyes her carefully. "This, was too much."

"Maybe so," Ahsoka says in agreement. "But I did learn something, that the politics in this war aren't as black and white as I once thought they were."

"In conclusion Master Skywalker; your earlier statement before we left was wrong!" I say cheerfully. Anakin shoots me a small glare while Padme and Ahsoka let off soft giggles.

Besides the obvious corruption in the different Senators, specifically the Corporate Alliance Senators, something else was bothering me, which I had yet to tell Ahsoka about. The more I look back, the more I realize that the woman I saw wasn't a figment of my imagination.

The question is... who is she? And why did she call my name?


	17. Chapter 16 - How to Infiltrate a Base

After the Incident we had with the Separatist and Republic Senate, we were back out on the front lines against the Separatists. We were planning an attack against a droid outpost that our Intelligence recently located on the planet Juruun. What it contains is information about the Separatists next few plans of attack against the Republic. However, before we could start planning, Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker were called back to the Temple to investigate the strange deaths behind two Jedi. Apparently some new figure has entered the war right after Ventress was assumed to be killed.

So while they were doing that, Ahsoka and I were left to continue the strike against the Separatist base with Captain Rex, Admiral Yularen, and the Resolute, with two escort ships. Right now we were brainstorming how to infiltrate the base most effectively around the holotable.

"So we're all in agreement that we can't just blow our way through this?" I ask in confirmation.

Admiral Yularen nods in agreement. "Yes Commander. The Resolute is a tough vessel, but against four Munificent class frigates it can only last so long."

"So what's our play then? We know that we can't sneak around that many ships without being spotted, and we can't blow our way through them either." Captain Rex said. Ahsoka studied the map of the blockade intently.

"The only way I see us getting in there is with a small strike team. Otherwise we might as well quit the mission with our limited forces." Ahsoka says.

"What are you suggesting sir?" Rex asks.

Me and Ahsoka share a look. _"Infiltration?"_ I ask her.

 _"You think you can sneak us past them?"_ Ahsoka asks me. _"Possibly."_

"If we take the long way around with a small strike team in the Twilight, then there's a good chance we can enter the base undetected as long as the fleet doesn't realize what's going on." I tell our plan.

"So a diversion then." Admiral Yularen states. Ahsoka nods.

"You think you can keep the fleet occupied for as long as possible Admiral?" she asks him. He considers for a few moments before nodding. "Most likely. However I must warn you that if we're forced out of the system, we might have to leave you and the strike force on the surface until we can send for reinforcements," he warns us.

"It's a risk we'll have to take then." Ahsoka decides. "Rex, get your best men ready." Ahsoka tells him. He nods with a salute.

"Yes sir!" He says, heading off to gather a few troopers.

* * *

Once we launched off in the Twilight from the Resolute, Ahsoka piloted us in the slow direction around the planet to avoid detection. The small strike team that Rex recruited for this mission were himself, two ARC troopers Fives and Echo, and Jesse. Our priority was to slip in, steal the Separatist plans, then get out before we were spotted. Should be easy.

when we got into the right position, Ahsoka angled the ship in the direction of the base and stopped. The Separatist fleet could be seen far in the distance the size of a comlink.

"We're all ready Admiral," Ahsoka said through the transmitter.

 _"Yes Commander. We're beginning our diversion now. You'll only get about an hour before we may be forced to leave."_ Admiral Yularen responds.

"Understood. Ahsoka out," she says, ending the transmission. Soon enough, the ships in the distance began to light up in small flashes from the different explosions. A positive for us is that while Separatist fleets always consist of many ships, their Munificent class frigates are not nearly as strong as a Venator cruiser.

"Well, this is where the fun begins." I say.

"I'm ready for some action anytime sir." Fives says enthusiastically.

Ahsoka activates the Twilight's thrusters and we speed towards the direction where the Separatist base should be. As we get closer to the fleet, I activate a device that I came up with that should scramble our signal to prevent us from being located by the enemy, although it's only temporary. We fly towards the surface and keep a careful eye on the Separatist ships. To our relief, they don't seem to spot us and we continue towards the surface of the planet. Once we're close enough, we land the Twilight in the forest just outside of where the scanners could pick us up.

"Well that went better than expected." I say.

"Now comes the hard part," she reminds me.

We exit the ship and stealthily make our way through the trees staying out of the droids line of sight. We come across a large rock and hide behind it as a light passes over our position.

"What do you see Echo?" I ask him.

Echo carefully raises his head to peer over the rock and activates his electrobinoculars to get a good view in the forest night.

"We've got droids stationed on the walls, with search lights surrounding the area. Gonna make it hard to get inside sir," he tells us. Ahsoka thinks for a moment.

"Are there any trees growing near the base?" she asks him.

He takes a moment to check and then nods. "There's a large tree on the South side which goes right to the top of that."

"Then let's climb up that tree to enter the base easily. At the very least we'll be on top of the wall." Ahsoka says.

"I like it." Captain Rex says in agreement.

With our plan of action decided, we cross back through the trees over to the South side of the base and towards the large tree. We start the climb up it as quietly as possible, staying on the far side of the tree to avoid detection. Once we reach the top, I notice two droids standing lookout to watch for any intruders. I put a finger to my lips to quiet everyone and then slowly walk along the thick branch to stand directly above them. They're also in some heavy discussion too apparently.

"...boring job in the Droid Army!" One of the droids complains.

"Better than one of my previous jobs. I had to scrub the cells of some creatures we used against the clones." The other droid says.

"Maybe you're right," it admitted.

"That's not even the worst part! In the middle of scrubbing I was locked in there by some Jedi!" the droid says. I make a face at that, finding the situation a little humorous. Like what?"

"Oh that's-" Before it has a chance to continue, I drop down from my perch and swiftly activate my lightsaber, cuttig the droids down and then deactivating it in the span of two seconds, hiding behind and outcropping in the wall. After waiting for a few moments, I signal the rest of the team to come down. They swiftly follow, and the droids get pulled out of sight by Jesse and Echo.

"We have an entrypoint sir?" Rex asks us.

Ahsoka glances around and notices a small door in the side of the wall, just large enough to enter with two people side-by-side.

"Let's try that," she suggests.

We head over towards the opening and enter the base, finding ourselves in a normal sized hallay that was thankfully empty. With quiet hand signals as communication, we make our way down the hallways based on the general schematics we had of any normal Separatist outpost. After a few minutes of quiet dodging behind pillars to avoid protection from droid patrols, we come across an intersection, which is where the next phase of the plan begins.

"Ok. That direction to the left should be the way towards the power room in the base, and to the right is where they should be keeping their intel locked up." I tell the others.

"Then we'll have to split up. Jarik, you take Fives and Echo to the vault to secure the intel we're after, while I take Rex and Jesse to blow this whole place up." Ahsoka says.

"Sounds like a plan." I say in agreement.

"You sure you two can handle this?" Rex gruffly asks Echo and Fives. They both nod determinedly.

"Of course we can sir. Just make sure you don't get yourself blown up." Fives replies back. Rex waves them off and we head to complete our assigned tasks.

 _"Be safe Jarik."_ Ahsoka tells me. I mentally offer an unseen grin.

 _"Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything you would do,"_ I respond cheekily. I could feel her exasperation ove the bond before we continued.

* * *

After sneaking through the base for ten minutes, we came across what I believed to be the door into the vault. I peer around the corner and notice a large squad of B2's and B1's guarding the entrance. This will make things complicated.

"Hey, either of you got something dangerous for these guys?" I ask. They both peer around the corner where I looked and stuy the group of droids.

"I think a few droid poppers can knock out that mess of clankers." Fives says confidently. I offer them a nod.

Then you have my permission to go for it." I tell them.

Fives pulls out a droid popper and moves up to the corner.

"Don't miss the toss Fives," Echo says teasingly.

"Quiet Echo. I'll show you how its done." Fives retorts.

After carefully preparing himself, Fives throws the grenade down the hallway, where it comes to a stop at their feet. The droids only have a second to ponder what that it before it goes off, consuming all but 8 of the droids, who immediately open fire on our position. I jump out and actvate my lightsaber, deflecting the lasers back while Echo and Fives run out behind me, blasting away at the droids. Soon enough, they all lay as dead scrap piles on the floor, and I get to work on opening the vault.

Normally I would just cut through it, but we still want to maintain our secrecy through this operation until it's absolutely necessary to drop it. So while I slice through the controls on the doors, Echo and Fives toss all of the droids through the garbage vents to get rid of any evidence. Eventually they would figure out something is wrong, but for the moment it'll do.

By the time I open the blast doors, Fives had tossed the last droid down the garbade shute.

"See ya later you tin-can!" Fives says in a mock salute.

"I don't think it can hear you Fives," I tell him in amusement.

"Yeah. That's because they're too stupid to hear us." Echo says.

Oh the burn.

"Well, let's get what we came for." I tell them.

We rush inside the room to find a few droids working at the terminals that display data of different sorts. We make quick work of them, me slicing through the droids while the ARC troopers blast their heads off with perfection.

Once the droids are all destroyed, I shove one off of the seat and sit at the terminal, getting to work in looking for the correct files.

"Fives, Echo, you two cover the entrance and watch for any droids that may try to get in here." I tell them.

"We're on it sir!" They say with a salute before going about their task.

I start searching through the databanks for the files I was looking for, and pull out my own device. I plug it into the system in preparation for downloading any important things I'd come across. In the middle of my search, my wrist-com goes off.

 _"Jarik, you there?"_ Ahsoka's voice asks me.

"I'm here Soka. What's up?" I ask her.

 _"We just set the bombs on the power generator. Do you have the intel yet?"_ she asks.

"I'm working on it. Fives and Echo are guarding the entrance while I do this." I tell her.

 _"Well make sure you hurry up because we were forced to set the bombs off! We only have 15 more minutes until it explodes!"_ Ahsoka exclaims. I widen my eyes in surprise. "WHAT?!" I shout.

 _"Just get what you can and get out before it goes off! Ahsoka out!"_

With that being said, Ahsoka cut the transmission and I stared at my wrist-com in shock before doubling my efforts in the computer.

"Everything alright sir?" Echo asks.

"No! Ahsoka's team was just forced to arm the bombs, which means we've got 15 minutes before this whole place blows up!" I tell him.

"What?" Fives asks in surprise. I ignore him and continue through the files.

"Come on, come on," I mutter.

Finally! There's the plans! I set those up to be downloaded into my drive connected to the terminal when Echo gives me a warning.

"We got a squad of Commando's coming in hot!" he warns me.

Immediately I jump into action and rush towards the wall, where there is a small groove in it. I jump up the wall in the crack between the ceiling in the wall and manage to hold on there.

"Find someplace to hide!" order the two troopers. They glance around before we all realize the same thing.

"There's no where else! We have to fight!" Fives exclaims worriedly.

"Wait!" I have an idea!" I tell them.

I put my plan into motion and just as the Commando droids burst in through the vault door, the scatter around the area, blasters raised. My eyes are closed in deep concentration as my hand is being held out. Across the other side of the room are Echo and Fives, floating in midair above the droids. It's taking all my focus just to keep this up, hanging onto the wall while also holding up Fives and Echo. They don't make a sound while the Commando's continue to search the area, not realizing to look up.

I reopen my eyes and manage to make contact with Echo, motioning towards the droids on the ground. I can sense that he doesn't get what I mean so I struggle more and mouth the words:

'boom'

Fortunately for me, Fives understands what I meant and pulls another droid popper from his belt. I manage a nod and Echo understands, pulling one out as well. They quietly arm them, and wait for my signal. Arms still straining, I give a slight nod, and Echo drops his bomb on the droids on their side of the room while Fives tosses his over to my side.

The Commando droids look up and are just about to open fire without hesitation when the droid poppers go off, killing all of the droids in the room.

Fives and Echo let off cheers of relief.

"Be ready to drop!" I tell them. The moment they tense up I release my use of the Force and drop down as well, leaning against one of the terminals for support. Echo and Fives land in a roll and give each other fist bumps.

"That was epic!" Fives cheers.

"Nice work Commander!" Echo says.

I nod, just when I notice that the drive is finished downloading the files. Without a moment to waste I immediately snatch up the drive and pocket it.

"Let's go men! We've got to leave before the whole thing blows!" I exclaim.

We immediately take off down the corridors back the way we came, and occasionally come across a few droid patrols. After running into two of them, the alarm sounds, which spells bad news for us. A squad of B2's ahead of us turn around to spot us and immediately open fire. I activate my lightsaber and deflect the blasts while fives and Echo fire back, occasional ducking or weaving around a blaster bolt that came to close. We slice through the droids before continuing on our way, passing the intersection where we split up. I open my wrist-com.

"Ahsoka! Where are you guys? We're running out of the base right now!" I tell her.

 _"We just made it to the Twilight! Head to the top and we'll come pick you up!"_ she responds.

"We're on it!" I say, closing the transmission. "Well we've got more running to do. Best start up a large killcount!" I tell them.

"This is going to be fun!" Fives exclaims.

"Dangerous too Fives!" Echo reminds him.

"Oh lighten up Echo!" Fives retorts.

We rush through the corridors and come across the pathway that leads upwards to the top. Battle droids intercept us at every which way, but we either run past to quick for them to follow or cut them down. By the time we reach the top level I'm starting to feel exhausted, and can only imagine how the clones feel. However on the last door that will lead outside we come across a team of four droidekas blocking the exit.

"Oh come on!" I exclaim in frustration. They open fire on us and we take cover, with me blocking blaster bolts headed our way. Fives and Echo attempt to fire back, but their shields hold firm.

"We can't beat it's shield!" Fives exclaims in frustration.

"You got any poppers left?" I ask them, deflecting another shot. Echo pulls out another.

"Just one more sir!" he tells me.

"Then make it count!" I tell him. Echo nods and starts to move forward, getting as close as he can. Blaster bolts fly close to him, but he manages to dive behind cover or weave around them if they get to close to hitting him. Once Echo reaches a reasonable distance, he rolls the droid popper along the ground until it reaches in front of the droids. Immediately the grenade explodes, and the droidekas collapse in a shower of sparks. At the same time, a rumble can be felt throughout the base.

"No time to waste, come on!" I tell them, rushing for the door, Fives and Echo following.

Once we exit the building, we come across a large platform that is empty of ships. Where is the Twilight?!

To our relief, it comes flying towards us a moment later, the ramp extending. Rex stands at the edge with his arm out beckoning.

"Go go go! Come one!" Rex calls out. The base begins to let off a series of explosions, and the three of us waste no time in heading for the ship. Fives and Echo get on the ramp, leaving me the last one out. As soon as I jump onto the ramp, the place as was standing at moments before explodes, and the Twilight lifts from the surface, the ramp closing behind us.

I sigh in relief. Another successful, albeit close-call mission.

* * *

After Ahsoka rendezvoused with the Resolute, Admiral Yularen gave the immediate order to jump into hyperspace. I collapse into the copilots chair in exhaustion.

"Well that was a close call." Ahsoka says.

"No thanks to you." I retort, but without any hostility. She shrugs with a smile.

"I knew you could handle it." she tells me. In response I raise the hand holding onto the drive that contains Separatist intel with a smirk.

"Yes I could."


	18. Chapter 17 - Overlords

Earlier today, I suddenly felt a strange shift in the Force, yet when I had looked around to see the reactions of other people nobody noticed anything. Not even Ahsoka, much to my surprise. Then only an hour later, me, Anakin, Master Kenobi and Ahsoka were called on a mission to investigate a Jedi distress signal that hasn't been used for two thousand years, which was originating from the Chrelythiumn System; all the way out in Wild Space.

Strange right?

In the case of the signal being a trap by the Separatists, we were due to meet up with Captain Rex and a Jedi cruiser. Once we came out of hyperspace, Anakin opened the com channel to Rex.

"Rex, Rex, do you read me? We're at the rendezvous point awaiting your arrival. Where are you?" he asks.

 _"Sir, we are at the rendezvous point and there's no sign of you on our scanners,"_ Rex responds in confusion.

I blink in surprise and share a confused glance with Ahsoka, looking at Rex with a frown on my face.

"What do you mean you can't see us? That doesn't make any sense," I tell him.

Anakin shakes his head, waving his arm at the console in disbelief.

"Oh, come on. That's impossible," he scoffs, turning towards Master Kenobi. "Something's wrong. We're at the exact coordinates where the distress signal originated, but there's nothing here. Rex is at the exact same coordinates and he's not here."

Master Kenobi brings a hand up to his chin, stroking his beard in the manner that he typically does when he's thinking.

"This is getting interesting," he comments.

"I'm not sure if its the good kind of interesting, Master," I reply with concern.

Without any warning, Rex's transmission suddenly starts to flicker and die out.

 _"Unable….to find you. Where….are you, sir?"_ he tries to say, but the signal goes dead.

"Something's blocking the signal," Ahsoka says worriedly.

I quickly check my console to confirm her statement and grow even more confused. Who could be jamming our signal right now? There's nobody around us! Then the ships systems turn off completely.

I look up in surprise and start pressing various buttons and fiddle with the console in an effort to get the ship back online, but nothing works.

"Not good," Master Kenobi says.

"Everything's dead, even the life support," Ahsoka informs us.

"Hmm, this is really strange," Anakin remarks with a deep frown.

"Are we sure this ship had full power when we left?" I ask Anakin cautiously. "There's no reason for it to just shut off like this!"

"Of course it has full power, I fueled it myself!" he replies in frustration.

As if to mess with us the ship suddenly turns back on, all of the systems coming online as if nothing happened at all. We all look around in confusion, unsure of what to think.

"There, see? Nothing to be concerned about after all," Master Kenobi reassures us.

"Are you sure, Master? Things like this don't happen regularly," I say in concern.

"Uh, guys? What's that?" Ahsoka interrupts us with wide eyes.

Ahsoka points out the window, and we look in the direction she's pointing only to stare in complete shock, and I lose my ability to speak.

Floating in front of us, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere is a strange diamond shaped metal object, that's colored a rusty orange-red. It slowly hovers in our direction, the sharp angles of it appearing to glow orange. Not only that, the Force is now converging on me with intense power at a level I've never felt before. It's not the light or dark side, it's just… power. And judging by how Ahsoka feels through our Force bond I'm not the only one who can feel it.

"What in the universe is that?" I shout incredulously.

Before anyone can answer the ship begins to shake violently, being pulled headfirst at the moon-sized metal object as if caught in a tractor beam.

"It's pulling us towards it!" Ahsoka exclaims.

The 'equator' of the diamond starts to open as we move closer, showering us in a blinding white light. The Force sings at the appearance of the white light, flowing all around me with such power that I'm barely able to comprehend it.

"Everyone, strap yourselves in! Looks as though we're going for a ride," Obi-Wan says grimly.

I squint my eyes as the light becomes increasingly brighter. I hold a hand up to shield my eyes from the light, and begin hearing some weird mystical force emanating from the object, or monolith I guess, singing in tune with the powerful waves of the Force.

Before I could think on it any more, darkness clouds my vision as I fall unconscious.

* * *

 _He unwrapped the cloth to reveal the masked helmet he had worn during his campaigns against the Mandalorians and the Republic. In an instant, all his lost memories came flooding back to him._

 _A million images—years upon years of forgotten people, places, and events—flooded his consciousness simultaneously. In his weakened state it was too much to take. As his brain went into sensory overload, his body went limp._

* * *

I open my eyes with a startled gasp, looking around wildly. I quickly remember what happened and look around to see everyone else was already awake, Ahsoka standing at my side in an instant.

"You alright?" she asks worriedly.

I slowly nod my head, still recovering from the weird images I saw. What were they? And why did that mask seem so familiar to me?

Whatever that was, it could wait.

"Yeah, I'm ok..." I manage to say, recovering.

Ahsoka looks at me with doubt in her eyes but reluctantly concedes.

"What happened?" I ask her.

"For whatever reason we appear to have blacked out," Master Kenobi tells me.

"Where are we?" Anakin asks cautiously, looking out the window.

I then take notice of the view outside and turn my head to look, widening my eyes in surprise. Surrounding us is a bright landscape full of rocks and trees with large leaves. It's very sunny outside, as if it's the middle of the day.

"I thought we were heading for a giant metal diamond?" I say slowly, bewildered.

Ahsoka quickly checks the scopes to get a reading of where we are.

"We're on some, kind of organic mass. All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid. But at least the atmosphere is breathable," she says.

"Well that's a relief," I reply.

Master Kenobi presses a few buttons to check out coordinates before frowning in concern.

"Well, this is getting more unusual by the minute. I can't even lock down where in the galaxy we are or if we are even in our own galaxy," he says, looking up in concern.

Anakin presses the ignition button and the ship lights up in response, but aside from a bit of stuttering is does nothing else, refusing to come online.

"Well, the ship's systems seem fine but for whatever reason, nothing's working," he tells us.

"And I thought Geonosis was weird," I mutter irritably.

Ahsoka gets up from her seat and opens the door, and I quickly follow after her. No real point in being inside of a ship that doesn't work after all. Anakin and Master Kenobi seem to share the feeling, and follow after us.

Once we exit the ship I look around, only to become even more stunned and bewildered by the sight that greets me. Unless I hit my head when passing out, I'm seeing rocks floating around the quiet landscape. Not simple boulders or stones, but huge mountains just floating through the air as if we were still in space, defying all laws of gravity.

"Am I seeing things? Please tell me I'm seeing things," I ask Ahsoka, but apparently she's just as stunned as I am.

"I don't think its just you," she replies slowly.

Taking a few steps forward, Obi-Wan pulls out his binoculars and looks through them, surveying the area.

"Hey! I saw something. A reflection, up on the hill," Ahsoka suddenly says, pointing in that direction.

"You did?" I ask her, and Obi-Wan turns to look in the direction she pointed out.

"I don't see anything either," he adds.

While definitely strange, there was something about this planet that I didn't feel anywhere else I've ever been: tranquility. Every planet I've ever traveled too, Coruscant included, is always busy with something. Other planets are affected by war, and Coruscant is just a large city. The only other place that I could consider to be similar is Ilum, but that's still a large blizzard all over the planet.

Anakin suddenly glances around in surprise, as if he heard something.

"Wh- what? Did you hear that?" he asks in surprise.

Master Kenobi shoots him a glance while me and Ahsoka continue to survey the landscape.

"I didn't hear anything," he replies.

However that's when we feel a surge in the light side of the Force, and hear a woman's voice echo through the air, coming from our right.

"Are you the one?" the voice asks.

We all quickly look over to see a woman standing a few feet to our right and staring at us, Anakin in particular. What surprises me the most is not her strange outfit, but the fact that she seems to be glowing with light. Her green hair flows behind her, and she wears a cream colored dress. A strange energy full of the light side seems to be emanating out from her in waves, making me shiver, but not unpleasantly.

"Hello," Master Kenobi says in a surprised voice.

"Who are you?" Anakin asks.

She waves her hands to herself, her movements almost flowing.

"I am Daughter," she responds, her voice echoing around us.

I raise my eyebrows at her. Who would ever be named 'Daughter?'

The Daughter moves closer to Anakin, still gazing at him intently.

"Are you the one?" she asks again.

Anakin stares at her in confusion.

"The one what?" he asks.

"I will take you to him," she says, offering no explanation.

"Him, who?" Ahsoka asks in confusion.

"Did you bring us here?" Master Kenobi asks quickly, but she continues to leave our questions unanswered.

"Only He can help you. There is little time. Follow me. We must have shelter by nightfall," she says, walking away.

Anakin turns to us with a small grin of amused bewilderment on his face.

"And we thought the planet was strange. How about this one?" he asks, gesturing to the Daughter.

"We'll be fine as long as we stay together," Master Kenobi says reassuringly.

As we begin our walk, Ahsoka and I take the time to converse about this whole ordeal through our Force bond.

 _"This has got to be one of the weirdest and most confusing things I've ever seen in my life_ ," I tell her.

 _"I hear ya Jarik_ ," she says in agreement. _"This is definitely strange."_

"What may be confusing is more than you can imagine, Padawans," the Daughter says.

Ahsoka and I freeze up upon realizing she heard us talking and come to a full stop in complete surprise, looking at the Daughter in shock. Anakin and Master Kenobi also stop and glance between us and her, confused.

"What does that mean?" Master Kenobi asks us.

We both glance at each other in a little bit of fear and unease, struggling to respond.

"Uuuhhmmmm..." I start to say, not sure how to answer.

"Can we tell you later?" Ahsoka chimes in anxiously.

A let out a sigh of relief. Anakin and Obi-Wan glance at each other and give us suspicious looks but nod, backing off for now. Oh, that was so close.

"Come, there is little time," Daughter says, noticing how we stopped.

Once we start to follow after her again, Ahsoka and I share an unspoken agreement, both physical and mental to not talk over our bond while we were in the presence of the Daughter, or anyone else from this planet.

* * *

As the four of us continue to follow the Daughter on the narrow path she was leading us, I couldn't help but notice that the plants were starting to change, becoming red as the day grew on. It was almost as if they were already in a new season. The temperature seemed to change as well.

"Have you noticed the seasons seem to change with the time of day?" Master Kenobi asks, brushing a leaf out of the way.

"Yeah," Anakin says with a nod.

"And there are no animals," Ahsoka points out.

"Not even bugs," I add in, a little bit cheerfully.

One of the things I hate most whenever we're on missions are the little flies and bugs that would fly around us, viciously seeking to bite us and suck out our blood whenever we were on missions. I seriously hate those.

"And you sense it?" Master Kenobi asks, no doubt about the strange Force we're feeling.

"Hmm hmm. Since we arrived," Anakin replies in agreement. "The Force is... very strong."

"An intersection unlike anything I've ever felt before. Be wary," he advises

I nod in response, understanding his warning. No where else, not even the Jedi Temple or the caves of Ilum, has the Force felt so powerful here, specifically from the Daughter herself. She seemed to be overflowing with energy at a level that far exceeded the presence of even Master Yoda himself. Speak of the 'Angel,' the way she walked was also weird. While we had to power-walk to keep up with her speed, her legs moved across the ground slowly, almost as if she were floating.

"Excuse me. Who are you taking us to?" Anakin asks.

"The Father, of course," she replies without a glance.

"Of course," Ahsoka says sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Because who else could there be on this floating, magic fore filled rock?" I ask in amusement.

Me and Ahsoka share a quiet laugh with each other. Master Kenobi chooses to ignore us for now.

"And what exactly are you?" he asks her.

"We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end," she responds helpfully.

Not.

"Glad she cleared that up for us," Anakin adds jokingly.

"She's even more cryptic than Master Yoda," I remark.

We continue on our walk through the mountains, entering an area full of red leaved trees. Immediately the Force begins to feel... darker. I suppress a shiver. A rumbling is suddenly heard and I look up to see a giant rock heading down for us.

"Hey! Look out!" Anakin exclaims, pointing towards the rock.

He pushes the Daughter out of the way when the rock hits, separating us. Me and Ahsoka dodge out of the way, but Obi-Wan isn't as lucky, and he just manages to catch onto the ledge before he falls off.

Me and Ahsoka quickly rush to him and each grab one of his arms, pulling him up the side to safety. We all sigh in relief.

"Thank you." Obi-Wan says gratefully.

"You're welcome." Ahsoka replies with a smile.

"How many times do us Padawans always have to save your life Master?" I ask him with a grin, crossing my arms in amusement. He sighs in resignation.

"More times than I can count, that's for sure." he says.

We look at the large rock that blocks the pathway forwards, trapping Anakin on the other side.

"Anakin, are you there? Are you all right?" Master Kenobi asks through his wrist-com.

 _"Yeah, but our friend here has RUN OFF!"_ Anakin replies in frustation. I roll my eyes. How typical. _"Go back to the ship and try sending another distress call. I'll follow her and find out how to get off this rock."_

"And if this is a trap?" Master Kenobi asks him.

 _"Then I'm not gonna wait around to find out."_ he replies, as if the answer is obvious.

"Anakin, stop. Wait for us to find another way around and meet you." Master Kenobi says.

All we hear in response is a static filled noise as the transmission is cut.

"Anakin? So reckless and impatient." Obi-Wan sighs, crossing his arms

"He'll find her." Ahsoka says reassuringly.

Obi-Wan eyes us in concern. "Yes, and what else?"

The sound of thunder suddenly draws our attention. In the distance a huge black cloud approaches our position, sending lighting down on the ground every so often, and covering the ground in utter blackness.

"Well that's wonderful," I say in annoyance, kicking a stray pebble.

"Look's like a large storm is coming." Ahsoka says.

Master Kenobi nods. "Then we best get back to the ship, seeing as there's no other real option."

With our plan set, we head off back down the path we came, hoping to accomplish something with starting the ship up again.

* * *

Absolutely perfect.

As soon as we arrived back at the clearing we landed in, everything looked normal. Except for the fact that the ship was now nowhere to be found. What's worse is that the area that used to be green is now turning red and decaying, and it starts to feel cold. The air temperature, and the Force.

"The ship's gone!" Ahsoka exclaims, waving her arm in disbelief.

"Yes, I see that," Master Kenobi responds at the obvious statement, crossing his arms and bringing a hand up to his beard in thought.

"First we get magically transported to some weird Force planet, the season change in day? And now our ship just ups and disappears?" I say in exasperation.

I was already done with this place.

"It was here, no question," she adds in agreement, before frowning at the ground. "And look, everything's dying."

We all look around to see the plants just shrivel up and dissolve into nothingness, all in the span of seconds. The Force grows even colder now, making me shiver uncomfortably.

"Did you lose something?" a dark voice asks us.

We immediately turn around at the sound of the voice, Ahsoka and I activating our lightsabers in response to the sudden appearance of a dark individual. He's very tall, wearing black and dark red clothing, with a pale, bald face. Red markings travel up the front of his face and his eyes glow red, glaring at us with a sense of irritation and boredom. The dark side just oozes off of the figure, filled with power at a level I have never felt before, making me seriously uneasy.

"You didn't do as you were asked," he states in displeasure.

I hold my lightsaber in front of me defensively, the blue glow illuminating my face as Ahsoka's green saber illuminated hers.

"And what was that?" Master Kenobi asks cautiously.

"My sister said to wait!" he growls, pointing down at the ground for emphasis.

"Did she now? Well, we were unfortunately separated," Master Kenobi replies sarcastically, grinning at him. "We'd like our ship back if you don't mind."

The Force screams warnings of danger at us, and the dark figure grows increasingly more agitated. Ahsoka and I share a quick worried glance before returning our attention to the individual, glaring in an effort to display intimidation.

"Not... yet!" he shouts threateningly.

While shouting, the dark figure held a hand out in Obi-Wan's direction, making him flinch instinctively. My whole body is tense as he slowly walks up to Obi-Wan, towering over him.

"Is it true that he is the Chosen One?" he whispers.

Within a milisecond, Obi-Wan is igniting his own lightsaber while Ahsoka pulls out her shoto blade. I direct my saber so that the blade is pointing at him in a threatening manner, and the figure regards Ahsoka and I with annoyance, as if we were a mere nuisance.

"What do you know of such things?" Master Kenobi demands coldly.

Gone was the fair and witty Negotiator, and in its place was one who was in the heat of battle, facing down the likes of Count Dooku or General Grievous in the middle of a battle.

"What is about to happen shall occur whether you like it or not," he says, waving his hand.

Our lightsabers are deactivated in response to the gesture, and we stare at them in a mixture of shock and fear. No one should have ever been capable of something like that! Who… what, is this person?!

"You are Sith," Obi-Wan exclaims in accusation, pointing a finger at him.

The dark figure crosses his arms in response, seeming amused.

"Sith?" he asks, chuckling like it was a bad joke. His laugh sends shivers down my spine. "Yes… and no."

We all share looks of confusion with each other at his answer. Even the dark side figure was a cryptic on this planet. He begins to walk away, drawing our attention to him once more as thunder rumbles in the sky, rain starting to fall.

"The storms here are quite lethal. If you want to live, I suggest you find shelter," he advises.

What he does next shocks me to my very core. Instead of walking away he transforms into a large gargoyle or bat demon, flying into the darkening sky with a terrible roar.

"What in the universe was that?" Ahsoka asks, horrified.

"I'm not quite sure," Master Kenobi says.

Thunder rumbles loudly once more, and a lightning bolt from the storm strikes down just feet away from us.

"Quick, there's a cave over there," Master Kenobi says.

We quickly sprint over in the direction of the cave as lightning strikes all around us.

* * *

After we entered the cave, we set up a fire for the night. The cave was covered with weird crystals that glowed blue. Ahsoka fell asleep not long afterwards with her arm propping her head up, and I also did as well. Not much later suddenly I felt a strange shift in the middle of my slumber, and hear a soft voice speaking.

 _"Wake up, young Jarik."_

I open my eyes and look around, immediately noticing something was wrong.

"Master? Ahsoka? Where are you guys?!" I ask, looking around for the people who weren't there.

 _"How do you feel, Jarik?"_ the voice asks, sounding feminine.

As I continue to look around, I then notice a ghostly looking figure appear by the fire. Upon closer inspection I realize it to be the woman I saw from before, on Raxus.

 _"Do you believe in the Jedi?"_ she asks me.

I immediately pull out my lightsaber and hold it in her direction with one arm, getting into a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" I demand, walking around the cave.

She copies my movements, and we slowly circle each other around the fire.

 _"I am your past,"_ she tells me, and I scoff at the answer.

"That makes no sense. Why have I seen you before?" I demand.

She shakes her head slowly.

 _"Because we are tied together. Have been for a long time, long before you were born_ ," she says.

"What? You're not making any sense at all!" I exclaim in frustration. "Who are you?!"

 _"I am Bastila_ ," she tells me.

Immediately I feel some strange sensation of familiarity, but I shrug it off.

"Then why are you here? Why do I keep seeing visions of you and other people?!" I ask, still keeping my lightsaber aloft.

 _"I am here with a warning_ ," she tells me.

"A warning? Because of that dark figure from earlier?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

 _"No. What you need to know is that if there is no change—if you do not adapt, you will fall,"_ she tells me.

"What?" I ask in confusion. "What does that mean?!"

However she starts to fade away.

 _"You will know,"_ she tells me.

"Wait! Come back!" I exclaim, rushing forwards only to see a blinding white light.

* * *

I awaken with a gasp. How familiar, the humorous part of me muses. Master Kenobi's voice brings my focus back to my surroundings.

"Jarik? Are you alright?" he asks me.

I look up and see Obi-Wan and Ahsoka heading my way, faces full of concern. I nod my head.

"Yeah, it's just, I had a vision," I tell them.

"It appears we all did. Anakin may be in trouble," Master Kenobi tells me.

"We were just about to wake you up," Ahsoka says.

I nod my head and stand up.

"So when do we leave?"

* * *

After leaving the cave and heading down into the valley, where the place is flatter, we look around at the forest, watching in surprise as the landscape changes from black and depressing to a full summers day, leaves green and flowers blooming.

"The longer we stay here, the stranger this place gets," Ahsoka remarks.

"It appears as if the planet is renewing herself," Master Kenobi says.

"Makes you wonder how much more weirdness the galaxy can hold," I say thoughtfully.

Ahsoka looks at us, worry running through her eyes.

"What about Master Skywalker?" she asks.

"Anakin will not be easy to deceive," Master Kenobi reassures us.

"I hope so," I reply anxiously.

We continue our walk before the Force begins to shower warnings over us, followed by the sight large moving shadows being created by something up in the sky. We look up in response, alarmed to see the bat demon from before, as well as a large white and green hybrid creature swooping down for us.

"What the heck?!" I exclaim, ready to pull out my lightsaber.

However, before any of us could react the creatures grab both Master Kenobi and Ahsoka in their claws, and take off high into the sky. They cry out in surprise and desperately begin to struggle.

"Ahsoka! Master!" I cry out in horror.

I start to run after them as fast as possible, but the creatures fly out of side not too long after. Still I continue running, until I finally collapse from exhaustion.

"No..." I whisper, struck with grief.

I look up in the direction they were headed, and desperately feel along the bond I share with Ahsoka, looking for anything about their situation. Ahsoka immediately grasps onto me, but is unable to talk to my surprise. All I can feel is her fear and worry for herself, Master Kenobi and me before it's cut off.

I then grow even more afraid since, although they are still alive and unharmed, something is blocking the bond I share with Ahsoka, completely baffling me.

"Come on! Why?!" I shout in frustration, pounding the ground angrily.

"They're gone, child. Forever," a dark voice says.

I whirl around quickly to find a man standing behind me, wearing all black robes over reddish bronze colored armor. Covering his face was a red and black mask. His entire presence just screams Sith Lord.

"There's nothing you can do for them now," he continues.

"What makes you think that., Sith?" I ask angrily, pulling out my lightsaber. He merely laughs at me.

"You don't have the power to save them," he tells me. "But I can show you such power."

"Yeah, because a Sith Lord would be so willing to help me rescue Jedi," I retort disbelievingly.

He stares back at me, and the air begins to grow colder.

"You don't know the power you could wield. The ability to save your friends in a heartbeat! I can teach you!" his voice booms.

It is a tempting offer, but there's no way it can be true. Not from this guy.

"Never!" I snap coldly.

The Sith growls at me in anger, activating a crimson colored saber in one hand and a purple saber in another. It isn't like Master Windu's purple though; this color of purple feels darker, colder, and less inviting than Master Windu's lightsaber blade.

"Then you will die!" he says angrily.

"You will not touch him," another voice interrupts.

I turn around, surprised to see an exact copy of the Sith Lord, although he's different. Instead of black and red armor, his is colored gold, like a warm sun. His mask is also a golden color, and I recognize it as the same mask I've been seeing over the past year. His presence in the Force shines with Light equal to the Dark in the Sith Lord facing me. The Sith lets off a growl at his appearance.

"You have no part in this," he snarls.

The golden armored figure activates a green lightsaber and stands beside me.

"You have no part in this time either. You cannot interfere with what is to happen," he tells the Sith.

"Oh really? And why not?" he asks mockingly.

"Because it has been foretold for centuries, Darth Revan," the figure beside me says.

I look up at him in shock.

"What? Darth Revan?" I ask in a fearful voice, suddenly not so sure if I can fight this person.

"Yet here we stand, Revan," Darth Revan says in disgust.

I look between the two figures in bewilderment, switching my gaze to view both of them quickly. Darth Revan is trying to tempt me... but Revan is trying to help me? What is going on?! Revan is supposed to be dead! And there's only one Revan anyways!

"What... what is going on!" I demand in a shaky voice.

Darth Revan chuckles darkly at me.

"Yes boy... I can sense your fear," he says with glee.

I narrow my eyes at him angrily.

"Shut up! And go away!" I exclaim.

"Use your anger! It is the only way to get rid of me!" Darth Revan exclaims.

I start to move towards him, fed up with this guy, when Revan lays a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him to see him calmly shaking his head down at me. Realizing what he meant, I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. Giving into anger is what Darth Revan wants me to do.

"The boy's fate is his alone, Darth Revan. You must not interfere with his destiny," Revan says firmly.

Darth Revan stands there, silent, although his anger rolls off of him in waves.

The sky then starts to change rapidly, switching between night and day as a massive surge in the Force rolls over me. I look in its direction to see a large monastery in the distance, with a blue crystal floating above it, glowing brightly.

From the direction of the blue crystal I can just make out what looks to be a large castle-like structure on the mountain. Through the Force is a surge of tremendous power that I have never before felt in my entire life. It feels even stronger than the presence of both the Daughter and that dark figure from before, not too mention it also feels like Anakin!

What is going on over there, and why am I feeling such intense power?!

"Your efforts are pointless," Darth Revan snaps, returning my focus to him. "The dark side will have Skywalker, and it will have the boy!"

He charges at us with a roar, brandishing his lightsabers, all the while the sky continues to change between night and day. Me and Revan ready our sabers for a confrontation, and just as Darth Revan swings his at us, everything goes black.

* * *

Everything hurts... it feels like I've been run over by an ATT or something. The world around me is black, and I just want to drift off into sleep. If only that annoying sound would stop bothering me...

 _"Jarik!"_

I groan lazily turn onto my side.

"Jarik!"

Suddenly returning to full wakefulness, I open my eyes to see Ahsoka crouched over me with a look of concern and worry on her face, Master Kenobi also looking down at me over her shoulder. I let out another exhausted groan, blinking my eyes wearily.

"What.. what happened?" I ask, moving to get up.

Ahsoka helps to support me as I stand, wrapping her arm around my waist and slinging my arm around her shoulders.

"You just appeared here, unconscious," Ahsoka tells me. "How do you feel?"

"A little tired... but I can manage," I reply, regaining my full motion. "Wait, where's here?"

Once I manage to stand on my own Ahsoka lets go of me, and I look around to see we're on a platform right next to some sort of large monastery. Our ship is sitting right next to us on the platform, completely unharmed.

"You found the ship?" I ask in surprise.

"More like the ship found us," Master Kenobi remarks with a grin. "It's good to see you're alright Jarik."

"Good to see you're alright too Master," I respond in relief.

"What about me?" Ahsoka demands, frowning, and I roll my eyes at her.

"Alright, good to see you to Sweetie Horns," I say with a smirk.

"At least your sense of humor is still intact," she sighs in exasperation.

"So Jarik, what happened when we were separated?" Master Kenobi asks me.

"You're asking me? You're the ones who were kidnapped by flying animals!" I say incredulously.

"And we're fine now. So what happened to you?" Ahsoka presses.

"Well... you might not believe it." I reply sheepishly.

She crosses her arms and stands in front of me with Obi-Wan, an expectant look on her face.

"I doubt that at this point," she says.

"Alright fine," I tell her with a sigh. "I think I fought Darth Revan."

As expected, they give me blank stares before Ahsoka sighs.

"Come on Jarik, what really happened?" she asks, not believing me. I shake my head.

"No I'm serious! Honestly, I should be asking you what happened after getting carried off!" I retort with a sigh. "Where's Master Skywalker anyways?"

"Right here Jarik," Anakin says, walking up to us.

"Ok good," I say after a moment, still weirded out by this whole place. Ahsoka eyes me carefully.

"When we fly back, you're telling me exactly what happened to you," she says as we enter the ship.

"And I am being truthful. I'll tell you all of it, if you tell me what happened to you," I respond.

We look down the ramp where Anakin is still waiting, looking at the monastery.

"Ready to get out of here?" Master Kenobi asks.

He looks back at us before returning his stare to the monastery. Finally, he enters the ship and we all sit in the cockpit, taking off and ready to get back to regular space.


	19. Chapter 18 - Altar of Mortis

**_Jarik POV..._**

After getting the ship airborne, we spent a bit of time navigating through the sky of this 'Mortis' planet, ready to leave the atmosphere. At the current moment I'm sitting in one of the back seats of the cockpit, while Ahsoka is sitting in the chair beside me. Master Kenobi was currently flying the ship, while Anakin was in the back, sleeping. I also took the opportunity to get some shut-eye, despite being in a chair, seeing as Anakin had laid claim to the only 'bed' on the ship.

But unfortunately, it wasn't dreamless.

 _Two large fleets of ships and battlecruisers are amassing above a planet, clearly enemies._

 _They're all in the middle of a tremendous battle, turbolasers firing between the ships and starfighters challenging each other in dogfights. Without any warning, a sudden flash bursts outwards from the planet and a massive explosion takes place, destroying many ships and obliterating the planet._

 _Darth Revan and another Sith Lord were leading campaigns against Republic forces..._

I wake up with quick breaths at the dream, glancing around in alarm before sighing in realization. I also notice that Ahsoka isn't in her seat, so she probably went into the back of the ship.

"Have trouble sleeping?" Master Kenobi asks me.

"Yeah. I keep seeing some strange visions," I tell him.

"Visions?" he asks in concern. "About what?"

I think about what I've seen and shake my head with another sigh.

"I'm not really sure, but back when you and Ahsoka were kidnapped, I really did encounter Darth Revan," I tell him.

Master Kenobi lets out a sigh of his own.

"Darth Revan has been dead for a long time, my young Padawan," he tells me.

"Yeah I get that, but I'm sure it was him," I insist. "Scratch that, I KNOW it was him."

Master Kenobi is silent for a long while as he formulated a response.

"I admit, it could be possible. While in the cave I also saw someone... my old Master, Qui-Gon, and he's dead," Master Kenobi says, hesitating momentarily. "But even if you did see him, there's no way he could actually have been there."

I stay silent, not sure what to say.

"While we're on the topic of this place, I have my own question for you," he continues, looking at me suspiciously. "Daughter spoke to you and Ahsoka as if you were talking, yet you never said anything out loud."

I grimace at the question, becoming very nervous.

"Care to explain?" he asks. Not angrily, but still suspicious.

Before I can formulate a response, Anakin comes rushing into the cockpit as if he were in the heat of battle. It's then that I feel a huge spike of terror from Ahsoka over our bond, making me gasp.

"What's going on?" Master Kenobi asks, noticing Anakin's state of panic.

"The Son took Ahsoka!" he replies sharply, sitting in the pilots seat.

"What?!" I exclaim in horror, whipping my head to gape at him.

"What in the blazes are you talking about?" Master Kenobi demands, just as bewildered.

Yet even as Obi-Wan was questioning it, I could feel it clear as day: Ahsoka was absolutely terrified.

"Move, let me fly!" Anakin snaps.

He forcefully gives himself manual control of the shuttle and grabs the joystick, turning the ship around and heading back. I grab onto the seat to steady myself while Anakin speeds off towards a range of foggy mountains, where I can see the Son's gargoyle form flying with Ahsoka held in his talons. I widen my eyes in panicked horror.

 _"Ahsoka!"_ I shout across our bond worriedly.

I manage to catch a glimpse of her turning her head to look at us before the Son jerks around, having spotted us.

 _"Jarik, help!"_ she yells fearfully.

Anakin pilots the ship straight after the Son, an angry and determined scowl plastered on his face. We pass by tall and sharp rock formations, flying through dense mist, but Anakin manages to keep us on his tail. We start drifting closer and closer to him, when the Son suddenly shoots off at supersonic speed. I open my mouth in shock at the sudden speed and begin panicking once they disappear from view.

"NO!" I shout incredulously.

Obi-Wan glances back at me with concern and questions, but holds off for now. Anakin narrows his eyes with determined anger and pushes the throttle to full speed. We emerge from the dense mist, only to see that we're heading straight for a massive tower that's glowing green.

"Look out!" Obi-Wan exclaims.

Anakin ignores him and continues heading towards it, prompting Obi-Wan to take control of the ship and yank the throttle to the side. We narrowly avoid the tower, but the sharp movement causes us to lose control and the ship falls to the ground. We impact against the surface, sliding across the rock for a long while before eventually coming to a stop. I had to hold onto the wall just to not fall over.

Everything inside the ship was now sparking, and I slowly get up from my seat with a groan, holding a hand to my head.

"I didn't think you saw it," Obi-Wan remarks.

"It was a giant tower, of course I saw it!" Anakin exclaims irritably.

Remembering the urgent situation, I quickly open the door and jump outside as fast as I can, Obi-Wan and Anakin following right behind me. We begin looking at our surroundings, and. Start to hyperventilate in a panic as I can't figure out any sign of where Ahsoka might be.

"Any sign of them?" Anakin asks anxiously.

"No, but I think it's obvious where he's taken her," Obi-Wan states.

Right behind us is the large tower that we narrowly avoided crashing into. It's extremely tall, with a spherical shape at the top that's lit up by a sickening green glow emanating from large sections of it. Narrowing my eyes determinedly, I begin to stomp my way in the direction of the tower.

"Then let's go!" I state fiercely, and Anakin moves up beside me as well.

"Jarik, Anakin, stop!" Obi-Wan exclaims, jumping in front of us. "This wasn't a mistake. He brought us here for a reason, we must not get involved. Any conflict here could have dramatic repercussions for the universe at large."

I gaze at him incredulously, not believing what I'm hearing.

"But Master! We can't just leave her here! Not with the Son!" I protest angrily, and Anakin nods his head in agreement.

"He's right, the Son's too powerful for Ahsoka. We can't leave her alone!" he snaps.

"We are in the middle of something we don't truly understand," he retorts. "We'd be wise to confer with the Father first."

"There's no time for that," Anakin responds angrily, and I share his frustration wholeheartedly.

"This is what he wants, to divide us!" Obi-Wan argues.

"Well kriff that blasted demon then! I don't care what he wants, we just need to save Ahsoka!" I shout furiously.

I storm past him with a determined glare, uncaring of what he thinks. I know that my emotions can be read like an open book right now, but the only concern I have is rescuing Ahsoka. Obi-Wan looks at me with a worried, but knowing gaze.

"You've developed a Force bond with her, haven't you," he states calmly.

I freeze mid-step at the statement, slowly turning around with a guilty and nervous expression on my face, unsure of how to respond. Anakin eyes me sympathetically while Obi-Wan looks at me with concern, as well as a small trace of disappointment.

"Yeah... we share a bond. It formed between us a few years ago," I admit quietly, looking at him nervously. "What are you going to do about it?"

Obi-Wan looks at me for a few long seconds, sighing sadly.

"For now, we have other pressing manners to attend to," he says.

"Then let's go!" Anakin states firmly, moving forwards once more.

"Anakin, Jarik, stop! Just listen to me! You must feel how strong this part of the planet is with the dark side. The Father will know what to do," he tries reasoning.

"He can't help us," he replies coldly.

Anakin takes off for the tower at a run, and I give Obi-Wan one last look of unease and worry before sprinting after him, leaving my Master behind.

* * *

I look up at the huge tower once Anakin and I arrive at the bottom, groaning in despair at the sight. If it looked big before, then it looks tremendously tall right underneath it. And I'm already tired from sprinting here!

"This is going to take forever," I say irritably, breathing heavily.

"It's either that or we wait for Obi-Wan to talk to the Father, which we don't have time for," Anakin reminds me.

"I know Master, I reply with an understanding nod.

Looking back at the tower, Anakin jumps up to grab onto a ledge and then begins to climb up the mountainside. I look up at the tall tower with dread, before following after with an exhausted sigh. When I move the follow him however, a sharp and throbbing pain erupts in my mind, as if a part of it was being stabbed.

"Ahh!" I cry out in pain, clutching at my head.

Anakin looks back at me and jumps down in an instant, concern and worry evident in his gaze.

"Jarik? Jarik! What's wrong?!" he asks anxiously.

I grimace in pain at the feeling in my mind, the sharp pain receding to more of a dull throb, as if I had a headache. I look back up at Anakin, tears starting to well up in my eyes as I realize the cause.

"It's Ahsoka... my bond with her feels... i-it feels so dark! I- I don't know what's going on but, something's wrong with her!" I say in a panic.

"Is she alive?!" he asks with wide eyes.

I-"I think so, but I've just been cut off by something. I can't feel her!" I tell him nervously.

Anakin looks back up the tower, narrowing his eyes as a rush of anger comes over him, followed by determination.

"Then we better hurry," he declares firmly. "Come on!"

He rushes forward and jumps up the cliff once more, restarting his climb. After a moment of hesitation, during which I do my best to shove down the pain, I jump up and begin to climb after him, worried and anxious about whatever is happening to Ahsoka.

* * *

 ** _3rd person POV…_**

The Father and the Daughter sat in quiet, peaceful meditation on their podium within the cavernous Mortis Monastery. Three large statues stood behind the podium, each a construct of the families respective sides of the Force. On either side were two statues, one that represents the Daughter's griffin form and therefore the light side of the Force, while the other represented the Son's gargoyle form, and therefore the dark side. In the middle was a smaller, more intricate statue with carvings that represented balance in the Force, sporting an ancient language and two symbols representing the light side and the dark side.

Along with those statues, there were also two wispy, diamond shaped forms connected to the Daughter and Son's statues, being much smaller than the statues themselves. They were near twins of each other, symbolizing the forms of two lesser spirits who also represented the light and dark. As the Father and the Daughter continued their meditation in their respective positions on the podium, the Father senses the return of his son, and opens his eyes.

"You are growing stronger, my son," he speaks, voice echoing with wisdom and power.

"Am I, father?" the Son replies carelessly.

He shrugs in dismissal at the calm form of his father and turns around, raising a hand to his chin and gazing at his statue with a smirk on his face.

"Vanity, however, is getting the better of you," the Father adds.

The Son frowns, but turns around and maintains a look of innocent confusion.

"How so?" he questions.

"You have done what is forbidden," he replies, rising from his position.

The Daughter gets up upon sensing the tension from her brother, but the Father gestures for her to remain seated. She does so dutifully, and he starts to walk with the Son, folding his arms behind his back.

"You've chosen the dark side and allowed it to feed your anger and desire for power," the Father states.

"By bringing a descendant of Revan and the Chosen One here, you've shown me my potential," the Son argues. "You've only yourself to blame!"

"Do not do this, son. Do not become what you should not. Be strong, I implore you, or else I will be forced to contain you," the Father warns him firmly.

"You look frail, father," the Son murmurs, mocking him.

"You know very well that there are others in the universe beyond just me who are willing, and capable, of restraining you if necessary," he retorts, narrowing his eyes at him. "But I am not dead yet."

The Son falters in his steps, allowing his rage to fuel him as he glares at his father's back.

"Well, perhaps I am tired of waiting!" he exclaims furiously.

Raising his arms, the Son shoots a powerful blast of red Force lightning that catches the Father by surprise, throwing him outside of the monastery. The Father tumbles to the ground with a groan of pain, rolling to a stop directly in front of a shock and alarmed Obi-Wan.

"I hate you!" the Son screams.

Obi-Wan looks up to see the Son transform into his gargoyle form and take flight with a screech, swooping down low. He ducks his head as the Son passes just overhead and watches as he flies off into the night, shaken.

"Father!" the Daughter cries out.

Obi-Wan turns around to see her rushing down the stairs in a panic. He looks down in concern at the Father, who groans weakly with a pained grimace on his face. the Daughter then kneels beside him, and frantically begins to check his health.

* * *

Inside the Father's personal chambers within the monastery, he was lying down on the large yet simple meditation bed, Obi-Wan and the Daughter on either side of him. Obi-Wan watched as the Daughter performed several Force healing techniques in order to help him recover, her hands glowing with power. She finally stops in her healing, removing her hands from over him.

"We will leave him to rest," she says.

"I must talk to him," Obi-Wan insists.

"Not until he's stronger," she replies.

"But your brother is losing himself to the dark side!" he tells her anxiously. "He's taken our friend."

"Then he must have his reasons," she says firmly.

"The same reason he had for attempting to murder your father?" he points out.

The Daughter widens her eyes for a brief moment, doubtful, but quickly shakes her head to dispel the thought.

"He would never do such a thing," she insists.

"But I saw him!" Obi-Wan retorts.

"It is not his fault," the Daughter states firmly. "My nature is to do what is selfless, but my brother's will always be to do what is selfish."

"Then know you must help us," he pleads.

"I cannot interfere with the ways of the force," the Daughter replies in finality, standing up and beginning to walk away. "My father forbids it."

"Your brother will flee this place and wreak havoc on the universe!" Obi-Wan argues. "You and Anakin combined have the power to stop him."

The Daughter halts in her steps and glances back at Obi-Wan, a hesitant look on her face. She considers her options, and then reluctantly gestures to him.

"Come with me," she says.

* * *

Obi-Wan followed the Daughter as she led him away from the monastery and through the forests beneath the tall mountain spire, where they came upon a small, dark cave opening. She glances at him uneasily as they enter, but still presses onwards.

When they pass through the entrance and into the cave, Obi-Wan find himself inside of a massive cavern, and looks down the cliff side. Pale green light shone brightly from the bottom of the cavernous ravine in the form of a cloud of mist, leaving the actual bottom of the ravine unseeable. He then widens his eyes at the sight of some sort of altar, several hundred feet below him. The Force swirled very strong in here, neither light or dark. The Daughter glances at him once more and then continues onwards, and the pair eventually reach the end of the stone pathway, just before the glowing altar.

"I can go no further. When you reach the altar, it will give you what you need," the Daughter tells him.

"I-I don't understand," Obi-Wan replies, confused.

"He who wields the blade will be able to control my brother," she reveals grimly.

Obi-Wan looks at her for a moment, developing an expression of determination. Leaping across the gap he lands on one of the floating stones, which then brings him down so that he's level with the altar. Walking through the green flames to the pyramid in the center, he widens his eyes as the altar opens up to reveal the form of a small sword hilt floating in the center. Tentatively he reaches out, grasping the small hilt and pulling it out. Immediately, wispy green and black smoke erupts from the hilt, slowly forming a sharp and deadly looking blade. Just by touching it Obi-Wan could feel a sense of strangeness and hidden power from within it.

He looks up at the Daughter, who only nods her head in grim confirmation.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV…_**

When Anakin and I reached the top of the tower, we pulled ourselves over the ledge and collapsed into a wide open courtyard. The only light came from the giant glass window which was colored orange and yellow, making it near impossible to see through. Around the courtyard it was mostly stone, but the edges all had small, but old looking trees that seemed to provide a mix of energy and knowledge.

At least from what I could sense.

Looking around the courtyard I brighten up in excitement, an immense rush of relief flooding through me when I spot Ahsoka. She's sitting at the edge of the courtyard's middle, silently facing a tree. Her back is turned towards us, and she wasn't moving; but I don't care. She's alright and unharmed, so that's what matters!

"Ahsoka!" I exclaim joyfully, rushing forwards.

To my slight confusion she doesn't give any reaction to indicate she heard me, nor does she respond to me through our Force bond either. It feels cut off, and cold, making me worried. Anakin and I both glance at each other in slight confusion, and approach her more cautiously now.

"Ahsoka? Hello?" I call out again, more concerned.

"Ahsoka, it's us. Anakin and Jarik," Anakin adds with an urgent voice. "Your safe now, let's go!"

"Are you, proud, of me Master?" she suddenly asks.

A chill runs up my spine at the way she spoke, making me falter in bewilderment and confusion. So she knows we're here, that's certain, but why is she acting weirdly? The more I focus on her now, I start to notice how her entire demeanor is colder, more dangerous. I'm still cut off from her through our Force bond.

"What?" Anakin asks, bewildered. "Of- of course Snips, of course I'm proud of you now let's get out of here!"

"What about you Jarik? Are you my still my best friend?" Ahsoka asks me next.

I raise a bewildered eyebrow and glance at Anakin uneasily, unsure of how to respond. I begin to grow more worried for Ahsoka because she's definitely not alright, that much is clear.

"Why wouldn't I be? We've been friends ever since we met," I reply uneasily, concerned. "Are you… are you alright? Why does our bond feel so strange?"

Instead of respond, she stands up from the ground and slowly turns around to face us. When I see her face I widen my eyes in alarm, a sense of fear and anxiety coming over me. Her skin is dark and pale, covered with ugly black veins as if she had some sort of serious disease. And her eyes… they were glowing a sickly yellow, so different from her normal, cheery, deep blue ones. She's looking at us with malice, in a way that fills me with sickening horror.

"He's right. Right about everything. You must join him!" Ahsoka says coldly.

She then adopts a more innocent looking pose and looks at us with a sad, innocent expression. But the pose is done in a way that only makes her seem more malicious and sinister.

"He only wants what's best for the universe," she continues, in a mocking childlike pout.

Complete and utter panic and fear is running through me about Ahsoka's condition. What did the Son do to her?!

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Anakin demands with a frown.

"Always with the criticism Master! Never really believing in me! Trusting me!" she responds coldly, rolling her eyes irritably and turning away from us. "Well, I don't need you anymore."

"Ahsoka, you know that's not true! I'm your best friend for Force's sake!" I tell her anxiously. "Why are you acting like this!?"

"Because it's fun! Because this is who I am!" she replies in dark amusement, turning around and smirking at me. "Isn't that what you've always enjoyed? Having fun?"

"Ahsoka, listen to me. He has done something to you snap out of it! This isn't you Ahsoka!" Anakin pleads, trying to reason with her.

"Isn't it?" she retorts, turning back around. "I feel more like myself than I ever have!"

She throws her hands out excitedly and looks up at the sky before looking back down, her demeanor changing to cold seriousness.

"He asked me to give you a message Anakin," she says quietly. "He said, if you don't join him, he will kill me!"

She giggles at the thought, completely unconcerned about her own life. I narrow my eyes in rage as I think about the Son's threat, and what he's done to her. He's a complete monster.

"We're not letting that happen to you!" I say fiercely.

She whips around and glares at me with rage in her eyes, making me stumble backwards for a step out of shock.

"Then you will be forced to kill me!" she snarls.

She holds her hand out and uses the Force to pull her lightsaber from her belt, igniting the green blade. Anakin and I both stare at her in horror, appalled at what is going on.

 _"No… please,"_ I whisper desperately across our bond.

Swinging her lightsaber around, Ahsoka lunges forward and then leaps in the air with her lightsaber raised, swinging it down towards us. I'm still frozen in place due to my horror, but Anakin quickly reacts first and pushes me out of the way, igniting his own lightsaber just in time. The green blade falls onto his blue blade, and he stumbles back a step due to the velocity she came in with. Ahsoka then slashes her lightsaber in my direction, and I finally snap out of it.

Whipping my lightsaber into my hand I activate the glowing blue blade and block her strike, deflecting another swing and then back up to stand beside Anakin. We both share a worried and panicked glance with each other before Ahsoka charges at us again.

Anakin moves first and blocks the strike, and I quickly evade another swipe as we both continue to step backwards. We don't throw any attacks of our own and remain on the defensive, determined not to fight her. She swings her lightsaber at us with as much power as she could muster, me and Anakin deflecting or evading her swings each time. Anakin ducks underneath one horizontal swing with a bewildered expression on his face, and she then turns to me.

Ahsoka slashes her lightsaber at me with intense fury, and I block her attacks before ducking underneath a kick she threw in my direction. This isn't like our usual sparring session we've had back at the Temple.

This time she's actually trying to kill me.

* * *

 ** _3rd person POV…_**

Inside of his tower, the Son stood beside his personal throne with a tranquil expression on his face, sensing the conflict between the three Jedi outside. He then senses a gleaming brightness in the light side of the Force, the familiar presence of his sister approaching behind him.

"Sister. What a pleasant surprise," he murmurs, opening his eyes and turning around. "And you brought a friend."

"What have you done, brother?" she demands.

Done? I have done what is right... Or what is wrong, depending on your point of view," he remarks casually, sitting in his throne with a satisfied smile.

"Our father is dying!" she says anxiously, staring at him with disbelieving anger. "Did you do it?"

"He is just so selfish and was taking too long to die, so I decided to move things along," he comments innocently, frowning at her. "Now, why are you here?"

"I won't let you leave this planet," she declares firmly.

"You are not strong enough to keep me here," he retorts, standing up from his throne.

"Not alone, she isn't," Obi-Wan adds in support, taking a step forward.

"Are you referring to your friends, the Chosen One, and the one with the blood of Shan running through him?" the Son replies with a taunting smirk, turning around and looking out the window. "You might want to check up on them. They're a little preoccupied right now."

Obi-Wan widens his eyes in alarm, glancing towards the room's exit, an angry scowl of worry and frustration forming on his face as he sprints outside. The Daughter watches him go in concern, while the Son merely smiles to himself.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV…_**

Ahsoka swings her lightsaber horizontally at Anakin and he ducks under it, before parrying a few of her blows. I move closer and she lashes out at me with a heavy strike. I block it with my lightsaber and enter a quick duel with her, in which I manage to throw off one of her attacks by skillfully twisting my saber, causing her to stumble. However she moves at lightning quick speed and catches me by surprise, blowing me across the courtyard with a powerful Force push.

I tumble across the ground with a pained groan and slowly look up to see Anakin in a brief duel with her as well.

"I don't want to fight you Ahsoka!" Anakin pleads urgently.

While he was more concerned on not hurting her, Ahsoka took the opportunity to raise her foot up and kicks him in the chin, sending him and his lightsaber flying. She performs a few backflips afterwards which would normally leave me impressed, but right now just make me extremely worried. As Anakin hits the ground on his hands and knees, Ahsoka stands up and reignites her lightsaber with a scowl.

"And now, the student will kill the Master!" she declares gleefully.

In response, Anakin silently raises his hand and calls his lightsaber back to him, prompting Ahsoka to leap high into the air to deliver a powerful downwards strike. Anakin catches his saber and ignites it in the nick of time, effortlessly blocking Ahsoka's strike.

"Getting ahead of yourself aren't you Snips?" he comments.

"Don't call me that! I hate it when you call me that!" she snarls furiously.

"How about Sweetie Horns?" I call out.

I rush towards her with my lightsaber up, prompting Ahsoka to separate from Anakin and whip around in order to defend herself from my slashing saber. She then glares at me as we cross blades, eyes filled with intense fury.

"You're even worse! You sicken me!" she screams in seething rage.

I flinch hurtfully at the remark, my heart breaking, and Ahsoka shoves me backward again. Anakin takes the opportunity to pull her attention off of me, easily disarming her with a simple twirling maneuver to send her lightsaber into the air. Snarling like a rapid beast, Ahsoka lunges forward and kicks off of his chest like a springboard, landing on the ledge behind us and catching her lightsaber. She turns around and reactivates her main saber, and then ignites her shoto blade with an evil smirk.

Anakin and I both back up with nervous expressions on our faces, and then glance over when Obi-Wan suddenly appears by our side, his lightsaber activated as well. We all share the same look of concern and subdued reluctance, our blue lightsabers illuminating us in a soft blue glow, in contrast to Ahsoka's giving her a sickly green glow.

"Three Jedi?" she remarks gleefully. "Finally, a challenge!"

As if we haven't been holding back this whole time, wow. The humorous side of me is laughing, although that's only one percent of me right now.

Ahsoka lunges at us once more, swinging her lightsabers wildly. I jump over and around a few of her swings, the others doing much the same to avoid her, and then raise my lightsaber. Obi-Wan and I both block her main lightsaber while Anakin's blade is lower to the ground, blocking her shots blade.

* * *

 ** _3rd person POV…_**

"Can you feel it, sister?" the Son asks, turning around with a gleeful smile as he drinks in the negative emotions. "Can you feel the anger, the hate, the fury?"

"Their conflict is feeding you, isn't it?" the Daughter realizes, glaring at him. "I must stop them."

She turns away from him and starts running for the same exit Obi-Wan left out of, but the Son frowns at her angrily.

"No," he growls.

Raising he arms, the Son lifts her off of the ground and then throws her back to the middle of the throne room, although gently, subduing himself. Despite their constant fighting, arguing, and complete opposite traits of each other, he still does love her in a way he has never loved anyone else before. Aside from his sister, he's only ever allowed himself to care for one other person.

However upon her landing, the Daughter whirls around in a firm stance, narrowing her eyes at him. She stands to her full height and begins waving her arms, calling the light side of the Force to her aid. She lifts the Son off of his feet like he did to her, although much more slowly, and then slams him onto the ground beneath the steps of his throne. He gets to his feet with an irritated scowl on his face, brushing off his clothing.

"If you will stand in my way, then I guess we must fight," he says.

The Daughter takes moment to prepare herself before adopting a fighting stance, her movements graceful and refined compared to firm and brute-like stance her brother is in. She does not wish to fight him, as she too loves her brother. But his actions are threatening the balance of the universe, and it's up to her to stop him.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV…_**

Ahsoka goes on the attack wildly, fighting more like a cornered animal than with her usual grace. Anakin and Obi-Wan deflect her blows a few times before she singles me out. We exchange strikes quickly, with Ahsoka lashing out with all her rage towards me, which she would've never had before. It breaks my heart inside, but I only manage to stay sharp with the hope that there's someway to reverse the Son's hold on her. I use the Force to shove her back in Obi-Wan's direction, and she immediately turns her attention to him.

Ahsoka strikes at him a few times, and Obi-Wan dodges, allowing Ahsoka to roll across his back. She lashes out violently, and Obi-Wan expertly blocks all of her attacks, moving back to allow Anakin to take charge. Me and Obi-Wan stand next to each other as Anakin pushes down hard on her with his lightsaber, then throwing her back with a large Force push. Ahsoka manages to slow down by jabbing her lightsabers into the ground.

"Any suggestions?" Anakin asks angrily.

"Yes. We cut her free!" Obi-Wan says, pulling out a weird sword that forms with blue misty smoke. I stare at in in shock. Where in the universe did he get that thing?

"What is that?" Anakin asks in surprise.

"Are you suggesting we use that on Ahsoka?!" I ask, horrified by the idea.

Obi-Wan however shakes his head.

"It can kill the Son," he corrects me.

I immediately brighten up a little bit. That is a much better option!

 **"UUGH! Where, did you get that?!"** Ahsoka suddenly roars.

I cringe in fear and horror at how Ahsoka's voice suddenly changes, mixing with the Son's. It's as if the spawn of the dark side itself was talking. This sounds even worse than when she was possessed by those mind worms!

Seemingly unaffected by her voice however, Master Kenobi only offers her an amused grin, taunting her.

 **"Give it to me!"** she screams angrily, lunging for us.

* * *

 ** _3rd person POV..._**

The Son shoots out a burst of powerful red Force lightning from his hands; a strike that was so simple and yet so powerful as well that any other Force user would have collapsed in agony from it.

However the Daughter casually deflects the lightning aside with a quick wave of her hands, letting it disperse harmlessly. Son continues his quick barrage, shooting burst after burst of red lightning, but she continues to deflect his attacks, keeping her gaze calm. Finally she catches one bolt of red lightning, contains its dark powers for a moment and then twirls around gracefully, throwing the ball of lightning back at him. The Son shouts in pain as he's struck by his own lightning, and is blown up against a grove in the ceiling where the Daughter holds him there, approaching with a grim expression on her face.

Scowling, Son looks down at her and thrusts his arm out, shooting another blast of Force lightning. Daughter doesn't have time to react and takes the charge with a groan of pain, collapsing to the floor and releasing her hold on her brother. He floats down to the floor gracefully and glares at her, watching as she gets back to her feet.

"You don't have to do this," she pleads, wanting to end the fighting.

"Then stand aside!" he growls.

Thrusting a hand forward once more, he strikes his sister with a powerful beam of Force lightning, making her collapse to her knees with a groan of pain. He stops for a moment, angry with her but still hesitant. She's the only one he cares about...

"I can't..." Daughter replies, determination filling her. "I won't!"

She lunges towards him at lightning speed, and the Son resumes his lightning assault on her, using both hands this time. However when the lightning begins to strike her body she merely powers through it all, morphing into her griffin form with a defying screech. Son grunts in pain as Daughter tackles him at full speed, throwing him away from her so that he rolls across the ground in a tumbling heap.

The Son gets to his feet with a frustrated growl, and glares at his sister. Drawing himself inwards with a snarl, he opens his eyes wide and calls upon the dark side, morphing into his gargoyle form and roaring at her.

Daughter screeches in defiance and rushes at him once more, but the Son flaps his leathery wings to raise himself into the air, lunging towards her. He grabs her mane with his sharp talons, his claws digging into her skin painfully, and then throws her down to the ground. Daughter was forced out of her griffin form and tumbles across the floor with a pained groan, and the Son lands a few feet away. He begins to crawl in her direction with a threatening snarl, and she looks back up at him with a glare.

Waving her hand, Daughter slams the Son away with a quick wave of the Force that hits him with intense, focused power. He's tossed backwards and out of his gargoyle form, tumbling across the floor.

Standing to her full height, Daughter begins to make her way over to her brother while he recovers. Son stands up and shakes his head to dispel his weariness from the hit, and looks up to see her walking around to stand in front of him, her stance filled with firm defiance.

Scowling, he thrusts his arm out and shoots another powerful arc of red Force lightning. She responds in kind by raising one arm to block it as well using a Force shield, narrowing her eyes. Son adds more power to his assault by raising his second arm, and Daughter also counters him with equal power by adding her other arm as well.

The two siblings move closer to each other, a fierce grin on the Son's face while the Daughter states back with her own subdued smirk, challenging him just like any other pair of siblings in the galaxy would. They move closer and closer until they're standing inches from each other, a ball of crackling red lightning and a defensive Force shield bubbling in between them, filled with power. As they face each other, equally unable to overcome the strength of their counterpart, the floor and walls around them begin to crack and shake in response to their immense power.

All of a sudden, the Father floats down on a platform close by, landing with a pair of blue wings outstretched from his back. They both glance over at him in surprise, unable to react quickly.

"STOP THIS!" Father roars, voice booming.

The Father waves his arm, and his children are interrupted in their battle as they're blown away by a tremendously powerful Force push. The Daughter and the Son are both sent flying through the air and crash through the large glass window.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV..._**

I step forward and block Ahsoka's attacks, although the power behind her swings knocks me back as she shoves me with her two blades. I grit my teeth in exertion and twirl around her with a wide lightsaber swipe, which she blocks with her shoto blade.

Before we can continue the fight, the large yellow glass window above us shatters as the Son and Daughter are sent flying through it. We all drop to the ground in response, deactivating our sabers as we do our best to cover ourselves from the shards of glass. The Daughter and the Son both tumble across the ground harshly, and I look up to see the Father drop in front of all of us, a pair of outstretched wings folding behind his back.

I realize this is my first time seeing the Father in person, and upon a quick glance at him he's certainly much different than the other two. He's very tall, wearing blue robes and a big pointy hat, adding at least two feet to his height. His beard is long and grey, and his skin is pale with age. This strangest part about him though is his eyes; they're completely black instead of the usual white, and his pupils glow a bright blue turquoise, filled with power and wisdom.

"So glad you could join our little party Father!" the Son yells angrily.

He raises his hand and starts shooting a stream of red Force lightning at him. The Father quickly blocks it with both hands, although he was pushed back a little by it.

"You will stop this!" the Father orders him sternly.

The Son only responds by raising his other hand and adds to the Force lightning, making it two powerful streams instead of one, which crackles angrily against the Father's glowing Force shield in an attempt to find its way through.

"You are too weak for me old man! You mean nothing to me anymore!" the Son declares gleefully.

We all watch the confrontation helplessly, unsure of what to do, as Anakin and Obi-Wan help support the Daughter. Even for me I could tell that the Son was unfortunately right, as the Father was visibly struggling against his power, his feet skidding backwards with enough force to crack and erode the stone.

Eventually the Son gains the upper hand as the Force lightning combusts in a sharp explosion against the Father's shield, sending him down to the ground. The Son floats up to the ledge he was standing on moments before and stalks forwards, eyeing him in contempt. The Father looks up at him with wide eyes, feeling a sense of despair and betrayal because of his Son. He's promptly blasted once more, filling the Son with glee as he watches arcs of red Force lightning crackle against his father.

"Anakin, now!" Obi-Wan shouts, tossing the sword to him.

Anakin moves to catch it, but Ahsoka leaps from out of nowhere and snatches it out of the air. She sprints over to the Son before we can stop her and jumps onto the ledge, turning back to smirk at us and wave the blade mockingly. The Son then stops torturing the Father and turns to Ahsoka, a smile on his face.

"Everything has transpired exactly as I planned," he declares triumphantly..

The Father slowly stands up and widens his eyes at the sight of the blade, looking at the Daughter incredulously.

"You.. showed them the Altar?" he asks weakly.

"I'm sorry Father. I didn't know how else to stop him!" she says in distress.

The Son holds out a beckoning hand to Ahsoka, gesturing for the sword.

"Give it to me, child," he says quietly.

Ahsoka hesitates for a moment, glancing back at us.

"Ahsoka no!" Anakin urges.

"Don't give it to him, please! We're your friends!" I plead with her, attempting to send all my feelings for her across our bond, no matter how broken it feels.

She turns around to face me, and a spark of hope flickers in me as I sense a brief hint of hesitation. To my despair she hardens her gaze and tightens her grip on the dagger, and then sends all of her hate and rage at me across our bond. I stumble back in shock, my heart broken, hurt at all of the feelings she sent me. She then turns around and hands obediently gives the dagger to the Son.

"Thank you," he says, not sounding grateful at all. "Your usefulness has come to an end."

I watch with a horrified gaze as he lifts a hand up to her and gently presses a finger to her forehead. In an instant, Ahsoka collapses to the ground, her lightsaber rolling out of her grip, and her life force dies.

I fall to the ground in a kneeling position with a scream of pain, clutching at my aching head. The Force bond I share with Ahsoka shatters viciously due to her dying, and the feeling of glass shards tear throughout my mind, causing agonizing pain. I vaguely hear Anakin let out a yell of pure rage as he charges at the Son, but is thrown back by a simple Force push. The shattered Force bond continues to send daggers through my skull, and I slowly collapse onto my side with groans of pain while Obi-Wan calls out to me, his voice sounding distant.

"The Jedi, have brought me the dagger! And you have brought yourself! And now you will die!" the Son declares.

I look up to see the Son raising the sword in order to kill the Father, as well Ahsoka's lifeless body laying just before him. Intense hatred begins to burn in me, filling every pore of my body like a wildfire. Glaring at the Son with intense cold hatred, get to my feet charge at him with a cry of fury, raising my lightsaber to strike him. He barely spares me an annoyed and exasperated glance, knocking me back with a simple Force push. I hit the ground with a groan of pain and look up again just in time to see the Son thrust the sword down at the Father, who raised a hand up in a feeble attempt at protecting himself.

"FATHER!" the Daughter cries out in terror.

Moving faster than any of us could react, she lunges forwards and shoves herself in between her father and brother just as the blade falls.

She gasps in pain as the blade is thrust into her back, her entire form flashing with a bright glow for a second. At the same time, I feel a sudden shift in the Force, which swirls in complete chaos and disarray. I let out a horrified gasp, my fury and anger at Ahsoka's killer momentarily lost for a moment.

The Father widens his eyes in horror, quickly catching his daughter while the Son takes a step back, filled with shock and horror at what he just did. The dark side begins to swirl violently with intense emotion that causes me to wince with pain, cringing away from his form. Darkness seems to engulf the Son as he lowers his head and clenches his arms, becoming filled with grief and rage.

" **WWHHHYYYYYYYY?!** "

The Son lets out a terrible roar to express all of his rage and despair, jumping into the air. I cover my head instinctively to protect myself from the sensation of the dark side. Huge lightning bolts flash through the sky with frightening power while the Son morphs into his gargoyle form, shrieking in continuous anger.

Once he was gone, Anakin, Obi-Wan and I immediately made our way over to Ahsoka. I kneel on the ground beside her in a panic, turning her over onto her back. Her eyes are rolled backward into her head so that only the whites of them were showing, a sight that sickened me. Her skin is still covered in all of those black pale veins from the Son's influence, her body feeling lifeless. I cradle her head, losing myself to tears while Anakin crouches beside me, Obi-Wan right behind us as well.

"My Daughter, what have I done?" I hear the Father ask, horrified.

"Do not hate him Father. It is his nature." she says in a weak voice, coughing painfully.

"No... all is lost. The balance has been broken! I thought by bringing you here I would..." he falters, losing his composure. "But I have destroyed everything!"

I don't pay attention to the trees and other bright objects slowly disintegrating into blue sparks, or how the Force continues to grow darker. My focus right now is only for Ahsoka, the friend I've had ever since I first entered the Jedi Temple.

"Can you help her?" Anakin asks desperately, and I look up with a teary gaze.

"There is no light. The evil has been unleashed. And the dark side shall consume her," the Father says grimly.

I look down at Ahsoka again, not wanting to believe that.

"You- you have to do something! You should know more about this than your own son, right?!" I exclaim helplessly.

"You must help her!" Anakin pleads.

"I cannot undo what is done!" he retorts bitterly. "There is no hope."

"Yes there is! There's always hope!" Anakin shouts back, his voice breaking.

I look back down at Ahsoka, shaking with uncontrolled sobs once more at the sight of her lifeless figure. A faint glimmer of movement has me looking back up to see the Daughter getting the Father's attention, pointing weakly over to Ahsoka. Confusion flickers through me at the motion, but a slim spark of hope rises in me at the possibility of the Daughter being able to help Ahsoka. The Father looks torn at whatever implication she's making, but eventually nods in resigned acceptance, standing to his feet.

We watch as the Father moves to stand in between the lying forms of Ahsoka and the Daughter, confusion filling me even more. He then gestures for me to move away to let Anakin move forward, making me tense up in response. I don't want to leave Ahsoka's side... but a hand on my shoulder from Obi-Wan has me glancing up at him, to which he gives me a sympathetic look, but nods his head. Reluctantly I move away from Ahsoka so that Anakin can move forward, and he kneels in between the two.

"Then let my Daughter's last act," the Father says, lifting his arms, and Anakin copies the motion. "Be to breathe life into your friend!"

Anakin slowly lowers his hands and presses two fingers to both of their foreheads. A sudden glare of blinding light has me squinting in response, and the Force surges with sudden power in the light side. Ahsoka and the Daughter begin to float above the ground, they and Anakin glowing brightly, and I cover my eyes against the blinding light. At the same time however an intense surge of Force energy converges on me, making me gasp in shock. Waves of the light side flood through my mind, repairing the shattered shards of my Force bond with Ahsoka. I also come to realize that my eyes are glowing as well, a hint of bright gold being the coloration of their glow.

Finally, Anakin lets go of Ahsoka and the Daughter and collapses to his hands and knees while the two fall back to the ground. The powerful energy leaves me as well, and I double over with heaving breaths, bewildered. Obi-Wan lays a hand on my back in concern, but I look up in favor of checking Ahsoka. The dark side seems to be gone, based on how the ugly veins are no longer covering her, but she's still just as lifeless as before. I begin to despair once more when my Force bond with her suddenly flares up in activity, and she sits up from the ground with uncontrollable coughs.

A wide smile spreads across my face as I gasp in relief, and Anakin immediately gives her a hug. She returns the hug, although is slightly confused.

"Hey Snips," he says in relief.

"What's, going on?" she asks tiredly, looking around at us.

I lunge forward and give her a tight hug as relief, making her grunt in surprise. She returns the hug as well with constant confusion, but tightens her grip at feeling all of my joy and happiness at her being alright across our newly repaired Force bond, which feels stronger now than it did before.

"You're alright!" I exclaim joyfully

"I.. guess I am. What happened?" she asks questioningly.

I let go of her as Anakin answers her previous question.

"Eh, not much. it's good to see you." Anakin comments.

I help her stand up, and Master Kenobi hands Ahsoka her shoto blade, which she takes gratefully.

"As the Balance in this world crumbles," the Father says grimly, regaining out attention. "So shall war escalate in your galaxy."

He then kneels before his daughter who now lays lifeless, no longer exuding the bright glow she previously did. I gaze at her sadly, wishing there was some way for me to let her know how grateful I was.

"As my son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength," he warns us.

"We will stop your son," Anakin says determinedly.

"No! You must go now!" he says urgently. "He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave! Before he can take it!"

"What about you?" Master Kenobi asks in concern.

"I shall mourn all that I have done, and all that is yet to be," the Father tells us sadly.

We look at him sadly, wishing there was some way to help, but his warning to us was true. If the Son manages to leave, then who knows what havoc he could bring upon the galaxy, and we would be stuck here forever.

We slowly walk away from him, and I stand close to Ahsoka, something that doesn't go unnoticed. Nobody comments on it however, feeling that there was no point considering what's happened. Ahsoka takes some relief in the feelings I send her and she responds in kind, reassuring me that she's alright.


	20. Chapter 19 - Ghosts of Mortis

**_Jarik POV..._**

After we left the Father and the Son's tower we returned to our ship, only to find the entire thing in a mess of junk. The crash really broke a lot of the ship's systems, leaving it in bad shape. As such, Ahsoka and I were put in charge of repairing it all while our Master's hung around outside, doing whatever it was they were doing. I work on the electrical and more technical components of the ship while Ahsoka fixes up the engines and mechanical bits, working in our respective fields. Although we were both dirty from our work Ahsoka was much more so, being covered in grime and fuel from working around the engines.

"You know, I get that we're both good at this stuff," I start to say, crossing a few wires together. "...but why isn't Master Skywalker helping fix this? I thought he was a great mechanic."

"He said he couldn't fit down here. Not sure why," Ahsoka says with a shrug.

"Huh. Well that's convenient," I mutter sarcastically.

"Yeah I didn't really believe him either but, he's the boss," she replies, rolling her eyes.

We continue our work in silence for a little while longer, but at some point Ahsoka lets out a sigh of concern.

"This isn't good," she says grimly.

"What's wrong now?" I ask with a groan.

"Practically every bit of the machinery on this ship is busted or cracked. It'll take a while to fix all of it," Ahsoka explains, sighing. "How's stuff on your end?"

I pull the cover off of an electrical panel and gaze at it for a few seconds, scoffing in annoyance when I see it in quite disarray as well.

"Lots of broken and sparking wires, not to mention the control panel is all messed, but it should be possible to fix it up and get the power working again," I inform her.

"Sounds good to me. I'll give them the news," Ahsoka says, climbing up from the hatch to talk to Anakin and Obi-Wan. "Well, you want the bad news, or the really bad news?"

"Well, let's try the bad news, laced with a little optimism." Master Kenobi answers, always the positive one.

"We've got two cracked shilo pins, a busted power converter, the engines should be fired twice to dump debris, and the backup vents need charging," Ahsoka informs them.

Sound like total trash for a ship.

"Sounds terribly downbeat. Can it be fixed?" Master Kenobi asks.

"I can reroute the primary initiator, weld the dampening vents, and that might give us enough power to leave the atmosphere. After that, I have no guarantees she'll hold together," she admits, not fully faithful in the capabilities of the ship.

"We'll take our chances. Better than staying here," Master Kenobi says.

I couldn't agree more. Not after what the Son did to Ahsoka. Besides, this place was just weird.

* * *

Later on in the day... or night?

Ever since the Daughter's death the planet just seemed to be in constant night, no doubt due to the unbalance with a lack of the light side in the Force. Ahsoka was currently getting a little bit of rest in the middle of working, which was fine by me. I'm surprised she's still able to concentrate so well after her ordeal, although it shouldn't surprise me. She's the most stubborn person I've ever known... maybe besides Anakin that is.

Anyways, I was halfway through fixing the control panel when Master Kenobi came to look down the hatch at us.

"Might I suggest a little less sleeping and a little more work?" he asks Ahsoka with a small grin.

She wakes up immediately and rubs her eyes in exhaustion.

"Sorry, Master Kenobi," she says in apology.

He hands her a drink in response.

"Here, this should help," he advises.

Ahsoka takes the drink gratefully and starts sipping it. Although I'm perfectly fine with Ahsoka having it, my inner selfish side wants one too.

"Can I have a drink?" I ask innocently.

"You're fine Jarik. I can tell you aren't exhausted at all," Master Kenobi replies sternly.

Ahsoka smirks smugly at me, but I merely shrug in response.

"Eh, worth a shot," I tell him.

Master Kenobi then gets serious.

"We need to change plans. You must focus on the firing drives. Disengage them," he says, grabbing the last speeder bike and starting to move out.

"But, I'm almost finished putting this junk heap back together..." Ahsoka starts to say in protest.

"Just... do as I say," Master Kenobi says sternly.

Ahsoka and I share a confused, but concerned look, but she shrugs in reluctant resignation.

"You're the boss," she comments, placing her goggles back on her face and jumping down the hatch.

"What's got him so upset?" I mutter in confusion.

She shrugs in response and we continue working on the ship in relative silence until we notice something strange. A sudden presence very strong in the Force suddenly appears, and I also hear the sound of Master Kenobi with another person, most likelty the Father.

"Is that the Father?" I ask quietly.

Ahsoka listens for a moment before nodding.

"I think it is," she confirms.

"Wonder what he's doing here," I remark.

Curious, we both climb out of the hatch and walk down the ramp of the ship to see Master Kenobi speaking tensely with the Father.

"Anakin has gone to confront your son, hasn't he?" he states in clear agitation, surprising me a little bit.

Ahsoka and I look at each other in surprise at the sudden comment, and look forwards again

"Deep within this planet, exists a place where all that is dark, is channelled," he says, rather cryptically in fact.

Obi-Wan hops onto his speeder.

"And how do I get there?" he asks.

"Wait, you're going to try and confront the Son, Master?" I ask in surprise.

"I have to find Anakin," he replies, agitated.

"You cannot interfere!" the Father states with a frown.

Obi-Wan glares at him in response.

"The way I see it if we were not supposed to interfere, Ahsoka, Jarik, and I, wouldn't be here in the first place!" he exclaims irritably, turning towards us. "Look after the ship, I'm going to find Anakin!"

With the order given, Obi-Wan speeds off on the bike while the Father watches him go off. Ahsoka and I glance at each other once more, unsure of what to do.

"Should we do something?" I ask her.

"I'm not sure," she admits with a worried frown. "Besides, we don't have anymore speeders so we might as well finish repairs anyways."

I nod in agreement, seeing her point. Before we could walk back inside, the Father turns his head back to look at us, his piercing blue eyes settling on me for a longer period of time, seeking. I squirm uncomfortably under his gaze, a bit unsettled, and then he nods to himself in seeming satisfaction.

"You carry an important destiny as well, son of Shan," he murmurs, more to himself than me.

I raise an eyebrow at him and glance at Ahsoka questioningly, to which she looks back, just as bewildered and confused. When I look back up at the Father, I widen my eyes in surprise to see that he's suddenly disappeared, leaving us both baffled.

"What the heck..." I trail of incredulously.

"Well that was weird," Ahsoka comments, and I hum in agreement.

* * *

 ** _3rd person POV..._**

Anakin flies his speeder down into the deep hole, from which orange light emanated as a result of the lava flow. On his way down he vaguely notices the symbol that could be visible, representing a form of balance, but he doesn't pay much attention to it. What he does pay attention to is the great presence of the dark side all around him.

The Son is definitely here.

Coming to a stop, Anakin dismounts from his speeder and looks around the open cavern, seeing that it is mostly a lake of lava, and not much else. He frowns to himself, narrowing his eyes cautiously before sensing a surge in the dark side.

"Welcome..." the Son greets.

Anakin whips around as the Son comes walking towards him in a friendly manner, and glares at him angrily.

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding," he continues. "We don't really have to be enemies."

"You murdered your sister!" Anakin exclaims angrily.

 _"And Ahsoka too,"_ he thinks to himself with cold fury.

"The Force is out of balance," Anakin continues, marching forwards determinedly. "I have to stop you."

The Son raises an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Must you?" he asks.

In response, Anakin ignites his lightsaber and holds up the glowing blue blade, ready to strike. But before he could even decide how he wanted to combat this Force entity, the Son raises a hand and easily rips the lightsaber from his grasp, shutting it off.

"There is no use for such crude implements here," the Son scoffs in contempt, before his gaze softens. "I have a gift for you."

"I've had enough of your trickery!" Anakin snaps, glaring.

"Oh, but you'll like this one. I promise," the Son says, circling Anakin with a smile. "What if I could show you... the future?"

Anakin frowns in confusion as the Son moves away, but then feels a sudden pressure on his mind. He groans in pain, grabbing at his skull as he feels the dark side swirling around him, trying to shove through his mind.

"No! No! Stop it!" he pleads.

"Know yourself. Know what you will become!" the Son declares with a growl.

The Son slowly backs away and out of view as black clouds begin to form and swirl around Anakin, and he shuts his eyes. He lets out another groan, and then starts to hear the sound of terrified and pained screams, and continues to grab at his head.

"I will not look!" he declares.

Yet even so, he could still see the images being forced into his mind. A dark figure wearing a cloak stands above him, his face horrendous and full of evil.

 _"The Force is strong with you!"_ he declares.

The dark Sith figure unleashes a blast of powerful Force lightning, and then his vision changes. He sees himself approaching a group of younglings, his lightsaber activated with the intent to kill, and they back away in terror. Then he sees Padmé, his beautiful wife... but she's looking at him in horror with fear in her eyes.

 _"Anakin, please!"_ she cries out, pleadingly.

Then Anakin sees himself lifting an arm and beginning to choke her, much to his horror. He would never do such a thing!

Then he sees Obi-Wan in front of him with an angry glare on his face, igniting his blue lightsaber.

 _"You were my brother, Anakin!"_ he yells angrily.

Obi-Wan swings his lightsaber at him and he raises his arms in a desperate attempt to protect himself, and yells in pain as he feels the blade cut through him. Then the pain suddenly disappears, and Anakin turns around to see Jarik looking at him, tears in his eyes

 _"You're the one that subjugated it into an Empire!"_ he screams, nearly crying.

W-what? No, that can't be true… he's not like that!

 _"My master could NEVER, be as vile as you!"_ Ahsoka's voice spits at him.

Ahsoka hates him as well… what has he done?! None of this can be true!

 _"A powerful Sith you will become,"_ the Sith Lord declares.

He can't be a Sith, he could never! He WOULD NEVER become a Sith Lord!

Then he sees a familiar planet, colored green and blue. Alderaan… Anakin watches as a massive space station shoots out a massive green laser beam, swiftly destroying the entire planet in just one shot. He gasps in horror.

 _"I hate you!"_ he hears himself roaring with fury.

Horrified and broken by the things he is seeing, Anakin collapses to his knees and covers his face, seeing a dark image come into his vision.

"No. No!" he pleads, before expelling his horror and grief in a long scream. "NOOO!"

He sees a dark, skull-like mask staring back at him, followed by a long and cold breath that chills him to the bone… it's him. He turns into a monster… does so many terrible things… betrays everyone he loves… and Palpatine… how could… how could he?!

Anakin collapses onto his hands with heaving breaths, struck with horror at everything he had just seen. He senses as the dark clouds around him begin to disappear, and also that the Son is walking back over to him.

"I will do such terrible things…" Anakin whimpers, filled with grief.

"Yes," the Son agrees sadly, looking down at him with sympathy. "But it doesn't have to be that way. The choice is still yours to make."

"How?" he murmurs.

"The future by its nature can be changed," the Son insists with a smile. "Join me, and together we will destroy this emperor you see in your visions! Then we shall end war, corruption, and suffering throughout the galaxy!"

Anakin gets to his feet feet, looking down for a long while. He doesn't want to join with the Son and the dark side, but the things he will do otherwise…

"Will we bring peace?" he asks quietly, pleading.

"Of course," he replies with a smile.

The Son holds out his lightsaber to him, and Anakin reluctantly takes it with an uncertain expression, the guilt filling him immensely. But if this is what he has to do to prevent himself from becoming a monster… then so be it.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV…_**

It took me a long time, with that time being full of constant work, but I finally managed to repair the power grid. I had to reroute the overlays, reconnect or fuse together broken wires, or create new bits of it entirely. So much of it was fried, but at long last the electrical panel is completed fixed… well, for the most part at least.

"Well, that's finally finished," I exhale in relief, sliding the panel back into place.

"What's finished?" Ahsoka asks curiously.

"The power grid. I just finished putting this junk back together," I explain with a sigh, grinning. "Now all that's left is whatever it is you're doing.

She brightens up considerably, a grin on her face.

"Well that's convenient! I just finished my end as well!" she says in excitement.

"Huh. That is convenient," I reply, rolling my eyes in amusement.

"Well come on! Let's go get this thing started!" she says.

Ahsoka jumps out of the engine room and up the panel to the main area of the ship, rushing to the cockpit. I follow after her, and wait as she quickly flips several switches and pushes a few buttons, bringing the ship online. We share a smile as the ship responds, lighting up and humming in success.

"Finally!" she exclaims, turning on the transmitter. "This is Jedi shuttle 634 calling on all secure channels for help. Do you read? I repeat: We are stranded and need immediate evac. Come in, please!"

We wait a few moments for anyone to reply, but there's no response. I adjust a few settings to boost the signal, but after a minute we still don't receive any confirmation of a response.

"Well that sucks," I say glumly, frowning.

"It's not the worst thing. At the very least we can fly ourselves off of this rock, so there's a positive," Ahsoka reassures me before frowning, grimacing uncertainly. "Although I still don't fully trust this pile of junk."

"Then you better get at it missy!" I tell her, smacking her shoulder. "Force knows you're already covered in enough dirt. Very unsanitary."

"Not like you look any better, little Jari," she retorts, glowering at me.

I wave a hand at her in feigned ignorance when my comlink begins beeping, followed by Master Kenobi's urgent voice coming through.

 _"Jarik, come in, please. Can you hear me? Jarik!"_ he says in a panic.

Not yet noticing the tone of his voice, I start to fiddle with a wire on the console, noting how it's not in proper position.

"Hey Master. You guys doing alright?" I ask him.

 _"No, quite the opposite,"_ he replies anxiously, and its then that I notice his urgency.

"What's going on?" Ahsoka asks in confusion.

 _"Anakin has joined with the son,"_ he states bluntly. _"Do not engage him."_

I jerk my hand back in surprise at the comment, unintentionally ripping out the wire I was trying to fix. A few sparks flare out and strike my hand painfully, and I let out a few muffled curses. I quickly look down at the beeping transmitter, Ahsoka and I both sharing the same incredulous expression.

"What?!" I shout in surprise. "But-"

 _"Just do as I say!"_ he interrupts firmly. _"Listen to me you two. You have to disable the ship."_

"Disable it? Seriously?!" I ask in bewilderment.

"But we just finished putting it back together!" Ahsoka protests irritably.

 _"Jarik, Ahsoka, please listen. We have to prevent Anakin and the Son from leaving!"_ he says sternly, with a hint of desperation.

We look at each other uneasily, unsure of what to do, but then reluctantly nod our heads in agreement with irritated sighs.

"Yes, Master," I tell him.

Before we could say anything else, the sound of a speeder bike pulling up to a stop just outside of the ship gets our attention, and we look up in alarm. I quickly shut off the transmission, sensing Anakin just outside of the ship along with the presence of the dark side.

"Get the power cells, quick!" I whisper urgently.

Ahsoka nods her head and quickly rips out the two power cells from the main console, which were on either side of the ship's throttle. Without those, the ship isn't getting any power needed to fly. Hearing heavy footsteps stomping across the dirt, we both rush to the side of the cockpit along the doorway, and jump up to the ceiling, pressing ourselves as tightly against the small rafters as possible.

Once on the roof we furiously work to cover up our presence in the Force, hiding our signatures together. We wait anxiously, complete tense and not daring to breathe, as Anakin marches directly underneath us, his feet stomping against the metal floor. I vaguely notice the dark shadows around his eyes, which were glowing yellow, signifying his allegiance to the dark side. Even his walk was different, looking more intimidating, powerful, and scary.

The moment he passes by underneath us and into the cockpit, Ahsoka and I let go of the ceiling and land on the floor as quietly as we could, quickly flipping down the ramp and outside of the ship. We sprint over to Anakin's speeder bike, Ahsoka getting on first while I sit behind her.

"Ahsoka! Jarik!" Anakin suddenly roars.

Hearing him rushing outside, Ahsoka guns the throttle and spins the speeder bike around, zooming away from the ship just as he gets off the ramp. I hold onto her shoulders to keep myself stable on the back of the bike, and turn back to see Anakin standing there, glaring at us. I smirk at him, offering a two-fingered salute as we get further away, out of his reach.

"Did you really just give him a salute!?" Ahsoka says incredulously.

"Heck yeah I did!" I reply proudly, facing forwards again

"Huh, nice!" she replies with an amused scoff. "Did you salute 'evil me' too?"

I falter in my answer, momentarily losing my amused attitude. Ahsoka notices my unease and glances back with a regretful and apologetic gaze in her eyes.

"Sorry, Jarik. I didn't mean to make you feel bad," she apologizes.

"No, it's alright Ahsoka," I reply reassuringly, and then smirk at her. "But I did call you Sweetie Horns."

"Yeah, I'm sure I loved that you little menace," she retorts playfully, rolling her eyes and giving me a mental thwack over our bond.

* * *

Traveling along the trail Obi-Wan and Anakin both took, and the coordinates they followed, we managed to discover the apparently named 'well of the dark side,' and make our way down into the deep, lava filled hole. I raise an eyebrow, scoffing at the symbol down on that bottom that resembles balance, finding that comical when the dark side was the only thing I could feel hear.

We then spot Obi-Wan climbing up the cliff wall halfway down the hole, and come to a stop. beside him. Ahsoka and I glance at each other in amusement, looking around at all of the progress he made. I withhold a laugh at the seeming ridiculousness of the situation he was in.

"Hmm. Nice job," Ahsoka smirks in amusement.

"Are you sure you aren't a body-builder? Your arms must be so tired Master," I playfully jest at him.

He gives us an exasperated look, sighing in exhaustion and annoyance, and then jumps onto the speeder right behind me.

"What took you so long?" he demands irritably.

I scoot up a little bit to give him some more room, and he grabs my shoulders to steady himself. The already small speeder drops a little bit, not built for holding two people, much less three, but to our relief in manages to stay in the air.

"Here," Ahsoka says, pulling out the power cells. "We did as you said. The shuttle's going nowhere without that."

Master Kenobi takes the power cells with a relieved smile and pockets them, nodding in approval.

"Good. That gives us some time to rescue Anakin," he tells us.

Ahsoka starts the speeder up again, and I wrap my arms around her waist for balance while Master Kenobi grasps my shoulders with his hands.

"And, yes Jarik. I was getting a bit tired," he remarks with in exasperation.

I snicker under my breath.

* * *

Once we left the well of the dark side we were unsure of where to go, and so just sped around the plains of Mortis aimlessly. As we were doing so however, a bright light at the edge of our vision drew our attention, and we look up in surprise to see the monastery suddenly standing right before us. The entire landscape has changed as well, much to our bewilderment.

"So… I guess they're at the monastery?" I ask slowly.

"It would appear so. It appeared out of nowhere the last time I sought to get here too," Master Kenobi tells us.

"Force, this place is weird," I comment.

With our destination apparently set, Ahsoka turns us around and we start heading in its direction, zooming up the mountainside.

"Why would they be at the monastery?" she asks in confusion.

"I can only assume that Anakin and the Son are looking for the Father," Master Kenobi says grimly. "Or, the Father found Anakin and brought him here."

"Hopefully its the latter," Ahsoka mutters in response.

Continuing on our way up the slope and to the monastery, the speeder sputters a little bit, and I begin to wonder how much more pressure it can take. Luckily we get up to the top and head over in the direction of a large arena, where we see Anakin and the Father sitting on the ground in the center, much to our relief.

"Master!" Ahsoka calls out, bringing us down.

He looks up at us, and I'm glad to see that he no longer looks evil and full of the dark side. When the speeder lands, we all get off of it and make our way over to him.

"Are you alright?" Master Kenobi asks in concern.

"I think so," Anakin nods in response, getting up with a determined expression on his face. "But we must stop the son once and for all."

The Father slowly floats off of his position on the ground, towering over us. As he gets up, I widen my eyes in bewilderment at seeing how tall he is, and can't help but taking a step back in response. Not to mention the way he floated off the ground was just… weird. Eh, blame the Force.

"We have little time, and you'll get only one chance," the Father says, looking at Anakin knowingly. "You know what you must do."

"How quaint!" a voice calls out.

We all look up in alarm to see the Son gliding down towards us, a dangerous look in his already dangerous eyes. He lands on the ground softly, and I tense up with a hand on my lightsaber, the anxiety killing me.

"My own personal send-off," he remarks sarcastically.

"I ask you one last time. Do not leave, my son!" the Father says.

"You have no power to keep me, old man," the Son retorts, a mocking smirk on his face. "You must understand by now, this planet is not my destiny!"

"What you will do will destroy all that is good! I beg you, restrain yourself and stay!" the Father pleads desperately.

"I cannot," he replies quietly, glaring at him.

The Father looks down in despair, his voice breaking as he backs away in resignation.

"And then it shall be," he murmurs regretfully. "I love you, my son."

"Do you?" the Son retorts disbelievingly.

Anakin activates his lightsaber with a glare on his face, and then lunges forward to attack. He swings horizontally at him, but the Son merely raises his forearm to block the lightsaber, much to my bewilderment. Undeterred, Anakin swings his saber again in the other way, but after blocking his strike the son grabs him by the throat and lifts him off the ground. Anakin gasps for air, grabbing at his throat in response to being brutally choked while his lightsaber turns off in the other hand.

Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and I all ignite our lightsabers in response, and the Son tosses him away carelessly. He then raises a hand in our direction, effortlessly deactivating our lightsabers and yanking them into his hand, a look of contempt on his face. We make a desperate lunge for him, but the Son thrusts his other hand out and blows us away with a powerful Force push. I hit the ground with a pained cry, rolling over onto my stomach and looking up in a daze.

I watch wearily as the Father looks down at the Son's belt, raising his hand. Using the Force he yanks the Mortis dagger into his grip and looks at it, gaining the Son's attention. The Son looks at him incredulously and then laughs mockingly, tossing our lightsabers away.

"What?" he asks, scoffing in amusement. "You're going to kill me now?"

"I held hope that you could resist the dark side," the Father says, holding the blade up. "But I see now, there is no going back."

I widen my eyes in surprise and disbelief as the Father directs the blade not at his son, but as his own heart, a look of grim determination. And apparently the Son is just as shocked as the rest of us, widening his eyes.

"Father…?" he asks, almost fearful and worried.

The Father doesn't hesitate, and thrusts the blade into his chest. He shuts his eyes tightly and gasps in pain, and the Son rushes forward with a look of horror.

"No! What have you done? It did not have to be this way!" he exclaims in grief.

The Son yanks the sword out of the Father's chest and supports him as he kneels down to the ground, panic and fear for his father's life running through his red eyes.

"Yes, my child, it did. You and I are tied together, and your strength runs through me," the Father says weakly. "This way, I take… your power."

"Please, don't die!" the Son pleads.

I'm shocked, unable to comprehend the Son's sudden change of heart. It wasn't too long ago that he was ready to plunge the dagger into his father himself, and was willing to kill all of us in a heartbeat. Does he… did he really love his father, and just didn't realize it?

"I always knew there was good in you," the Father murmurs, hugging him tightly.

The Son hugs his father back, grief and regret swirling through him. Only then does the Father open his eyes, looking over with a firm gaze at Anakin as he marched forwards. Nodding his head, Anakin ignites his lightsaber just behind them, getting the Son's attention. He widens his eyes and attempts to move away but the Father holds him in place, allowing for Anakin's blade to pierce through his back. Anakin's blade goes through both the Son and the Father, the former letting out a choked gasp of pain while the latter gives no reaction.

Anakin removes the blade, and the Son collapses limply into his father's arms, looking up at him in disbelief and betrayal.

"And so you have betrayed me, father," he says, heartbroken.

The Father only looks back at him regretfully, not answering. The Son gasps out one last breath of air, and then becomes limp in his father's arms, the red glow fading from his eyes. The Father slowly lowers his son's body to rest on the cold ground, and Anakin deactivates his lightsaber before crouching beside them.

"It is done," he says.

Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and I all get to our feet as well, and begin to make our way over. I share a heavy look with Ahsoka, one that she responds to as well with her own sad expression, unsure of what to think.

"And now… I die, my heart broken, but knowing the role you will play," the Father exhales weakly.

"And what is that?" Anakin asks softly.

We all gather around and respectfully watch with sorrowed expressions, listening to him.

"You, are the Chosen One. You have brought balance to this world!" the Father gasps weakly, looking up at Anakin. "Stay on this path, and you will do it again… for the galaxy!"

He takes in a shuddering breath, slowly falling onto his side as he tries to give his last words.

"…but beware.. your... heart..." he gasps quietly, his voice fading.

At his last words his breathing halts as his body becomes limp, and we stare at him with heavy gazes, unable to help the rush of emotion and grief running through us. I simply can't think of how to feel about what's happened. All I know is that it feels so, very sad… it's a sad story. A family who experienced constant tension and grief, all for the sake of keeping the universe in balance, only to fall apart and succumb to despair and death.

The entire landscape around us then begins to change, with the stone cracking and falling apart. It feels as if an earthquake is shaking the ground, as all of the floating rocks and structures fall down, and the sky starts acting sporadically as well. Finally, we look up to see the massive glowing gem above the monastery fall and break apart in a blinding light as it hits the monastery, shattering with brilliant flashes.

The sky is illuminated with blinding white light and tremendous explosions, and I cover my eyes to try and block out the brightness.

I feel myself falling through space and time as everything goes black.

* * *

 _"General Skywalker, come in!"_

The voice of Captain Rex brings me back to wakefulness, and I groggily open my eyes in exhaustion. The moment I recall what happened I spring up, wide awake, and whip my head around with a startled look.

…we're back.

Somehow... in someway, we're back in the shuttle again. Actually, an undamaged shuttle, as if it had never gone through the crash to begin with. The hologram of Captain Rex is displayed in front of us, as if it never changed. Everyone else wakes up to the same revelations that I'm having, and I share a bewildered look with Ahsoka.

"We read you, Rex. Can you hear me?" Anakin says cautiously.

 _"Yes, sir, standing by. We were worried. You were off the scopes there for a moment,"_ he tells us.

"Wait, what?" I ask, baffled.

We all share the same look of confusion and disbelief, and Anakin turns toward Rex with a furrowed brow.

"A moment?" he asks, scoffing. "We've been gone more than a moment, Rex."

 _"Sir, I don't understand. You'll need to explain,"_ he replies, confused.

I look at Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, even more surprised than before now. Did we… did we not leave at all? Apparently not according to Rex. Was it a dream? No… it couldn't be. all of us were there, and we all remember it.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Anakin finally says. "We're coming in now."

He steers the shuttle in the direction of the Venator cruiser, which I realize is suddenly in front of us. I try to make sense of everything that just happened, but quickly give up with a slow shake of my head.

"Well, surely our missions can't get weirder than this," I say slowly, still stunned.

"Don't you dare jinx it," Ahsoka snaps.

I shrug my shoulders in response, looking over at Master Kenobi uncertainly.

"So… willing to bet that we aren't going to be answering an old distress signal?" I ask him.

He doesn't respond for a few seconds, a hand on his chin.

"I'm think there's a lot that we have to tell the Council," he finally says.


	21. Chapter 20 - Informing the Council

After the whole craziness that was us being trapped on the planet Mortis, Master Kenobi called for an immediate Council meeting once we got back to the Jedi Temple. We were all going to explain what we witnessed to the Council what we saw and decide how to take in this information. This was surely going to be crazy.

The four of us were now headed to the Council chambers when Master Kenobi stopped us.

"Before we enter, we need to talk privately." he says, gesturing towards an empty room on the side of the hallway. We all give each other weird looks but comply, and Master Kenobi shuts the door behind us.

"So, about this Force bond you two share?" he asks me and Ahsoka, and my blood runs cold. This was the moment I was dreading. Me and Ahsoka share nervous looks.

 _"You told him?"_ Ahsoka asks me in surprise.

 _"He figured it out after you were taken,"_ I explain. Ahsoka sighs but nods in understanding, figuring that I must have been pretty upset for them to notice.

"We, do have a Force bond developed Master Kenobi." Ahsoka says guiltily. Anakin stands to the side of us with his arms crossed, looking a little sympathetic.

"You do know that the Code forbids attachment?" Master Kenobi reminds us with a raised eyebrow. We refuse to look up at him, fiddling with our hands nervously.

"Yes Master... but we've been friends the moment we were brought to the Temple, and it sort of just.. formed on its own over time." I explain to him.

"How do you mean?" he asks me.

"A year before I was made a Padawan, we noticed the bond as soon as it was fully formed. We didn't even realize it was happening until it was too late." Ahsoka says.

"Once it did however, we decided to cherish it and keep it a secret as long as possible." I tell him. Anakin looks at us in surprise, while Master Kenobi looks at us, letting off a sigh and putting a hand to his beard.

"And if you were told to remove it?" he asks us.

Me and Ahsoka share a look, our gaze becoming determined.

"We both decided that we didn't want to remove our bond willingly once it was fully formed." I finally say, my eyes full of determination as I look up at Master Kenobi. Ahsoka looks up just as determined.

"Could you please not tell the Council about this Master?" I ask, a little desperately.

He regards us carefully before letting off a sigh of defeat. "As much as I know this is against the Code, I've seen how well you two work together, just like how me and Anakin work as a team." he says.

Me and Ahsoka grow hopeful, and Anakin looks at Master Kenobi in surprise, but it was pleasant looking.

"Very well. I shall not tell the Council, and I'll allow you to keep your bond, especially after witnessing what happened when it was broken." Master Kenobi says relenting. Me and Ahsoka give off huge smiles of joy and relief.

"Thank you Master Kenobi." Ahsoka says gratefully. I nod in agreement.

"However," he says, drawing our attention. "If your Force bond threatens to cloud your judgement or negatively affect you or anyone else, the Council will know about it and we'll be forced to tell you to remove the bond." Master Kenobi warns us sternly. ME and Ahsoka look at each other in concern before nodding in agreement.

"Yes Master," I say.

He nods back. "Good. Now let's get to the Council Chambers," he tells us.

As we walk out following Master Kenobi, Anakin eyes us with a sympathetic yet understanding look, and even offers Ahsoka and I a reassuring smile.

* * *

"A story to tell, do you?" Master Yoda asks.

Master Kenobi had taken his seat in the Council chambers while Anakin, Ahsoka and I all stood in the middle.

"Yes Master." Anakin answers. "I know this may sound hard to believe but, we were actually pulled into a strange planet full of the Force. What took days there only took a moment in time for us."

A few of the Masters look at each other in disbelief. I would be shocked to.

"Master Kenobi, can you confirm this?" Master Windu asks. Anakin hides his annoyance at Master Windu while Master Kenobi answers him.

"What Anakin says is true. On the planet, which we learned is called Mortis, there were three beings which had brought us there." Master Kenobi says.

"They called themselves Force-Wielders," Anakin says.

Most of the Jedi aren't sure what to make of this information, but Master Yoda learns forward in interest. "Force-Wielders you say?" he asks.

Anakin nods. "Yes Master. The first one we met was the Daughter, who was a physical embodiment of the Light Side of the Force." Anakin explains. This gains everyone attention, as they're all intrigued to these strange beings.

"And the other two?" Master Mundi asks in interest.

"The others were the Father, who represented the Balance, and was mainly the one in charge, and the last was the Son, who represented the Dark Side of the Force." Master Kenobi says.

A few Masters frown at hearing of the Son.

"Was he a Sith?" Master Windu asks.

Master Kenobi shakes his head. "I don't believe any of them were Sith or Jedi, mainly they just represented a physical embodiment of each side of the Force itself." he explains. A few Masters nod along to this, although Master Windu still seems a little bit uncomfortable.

"Call you to Mortis, why did they?" Master Yoda asks us. Anakin tenses briefly, and me and Ahsoka share a worried look. Master Kenobi was also a little bit uncomfortable.

"They were, seeking confirmation about the prophecy of the Chosen One." Master Kenobi says, albeit a little hesitantly. Everyone's eyes widened as they looked to Anakin, who shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

 _"And what was the result of this?"_ Master Ti's hologram asks, with her still on Kamino to oversee the clone's training.

"The Father put Anakin through a test to see whether or not he truly was." Master Kenobi replies. That test was the only part of the whole trip that I missed out on, when I encountered Darth Revan.

"And the nature of this test?" Master Windu asks.

Master Kenobi hesitates to answer, and so Anakin speaks up after taking a breath. "The Father threatened to have the Son and Daughter kill Obi-Wan or Ahsoka in front of me, forcing me to basically choose who I needed to spare to release my guilt." Anakin says, his voice a little hard from the memory.

"He did what?" Master Windu exclaims in surprise, the other Masters looking at us in surprise and concern, not sure how to act.

"However," Master Kenobi says, attempting to calm everyone down. "Anakin was able to use the Force to control his children, keeping them from killing me or Ahsoka," he says.

Master Yoda closes his eyes and frowns in thought. "A surge in the Force, I felt. Matches up with the time you took this test, it does." he decides, gazing back at Anakin thoughtfully.

"And what of their fates now? How did you escape from Mortis?" Master Fisto asks.

We all share concerned looks. This wasn't going to go down very well.

"All three of them are now... dead actually." Master Kenobi informs them. They widen their eyes in surprise at this proclamation.

"Dead? What do you mean?" Master Gallia asks.

"After I took the Father's... test, we were preparing to leave when the Son gave himself over to the Dark Side fully. Through a series of events, he killed his sister, although his original target was the Father." Anakin tells them.

There is silence for a few moments.

"So the Light... is gone?" Master Mundi asks in worry. "Does the Dark Side control much more now?"

"Not anymore. After the Daughter fell, the Father managed to weaken the Son and allowed Anakin to slay him, before eventually passing on to the Force itself." Master Kenobi informs them. "The Father told us that Anakin brought balance to Mortis in his dying breaths before we were sent back into our galaxy."

Everyone stays silent, taking this in thoughtfully.

"Troublesome, this is to hear, however relieving it is that Skywalker managed to perform the necessary deed in restoring balance." Master Mundi says, breaking the silence.

"Balance to Mortis, he has brought, yet to the galaxy as a whole, is yet to happen." Master Yoda points out. Anakin nods in agreement to his statement, remembering what the Father told him.

"So the prophecy itself still has yet to come into full effect then?" Master Windu says. Master Koon nods. "I believe it wise to not ignore the possibility just yet." he says.

"And what of you Padawan Shan?" Master Yoda asks me. I look at him in surprise.

"What do you mean Master?" I ask in confusion.

"Listened to Skywalker's test I did, but a mention of you, there was not." Master Yoda points out. I look at him in realization, as everyone else turns to me in interest, and I shift uncomfortably under their gaze. Ahsoka sens me reassurance through the bond, giving me a small smile. I smile back in kind before going into my explanation.

"Well Master, after the Son and Daughter kidnapped Ahsoka and Master Kenobi on our way to Master Skywalker's location, I was left alone," I tell them, everyone listening intently.

"And believe it or not, while I was alone, I encountered two beings: Darth Revan and just... Revan." I reveal.

The Masters all blink in surprise, while Yoda frowns in thought. Anakin and Master Kenobi were still a little bit skeptic of my story, but less so now. Ahsoka believed me after I showed her using the bond.

"You mean, you met THE Darth Revan?" Master Windu asks me skeptically.

I nod in confirmation. "Yes Master. He was trying to tempt me to the dark side, while his... lighter side I guess, was supporting me against him." I tell them." Obviously Darth Revan's attempt didn't work but... when that was over I suddenly appeared next to everyone and the shuttle." I conclude.

Everyone thinks about what has been said thoughtfully, and I notice Master Yoda eye me with interest and curiosity, causing me a small bit of confusion, but at the same time I'm not that concerned. After all I did just say I met the legendary Revan.

"Very well. Skywalker, Padawan Tano and Padawan Shan, you are dismissed while we discuss what to do about these events." Master Windu tells us. We bow respectfully and leave the room.

Once we exit, I sigh in relief and exhaustion.

"Finally, that is over." I tell them.

Ahsoka throws me a grin. "Well at least it isn't a Senate meeting." she jokes.

"Oh Force no," I respond in horror.

Anakin chuckles in amusement. "Well, I'd say that went better than expected. Although after what happened, I think we all deserve some rest don;t you think?" he says.

We nod in agreement. "Oh I couldn't agree more Master." I tell him.

"Poor Master Obi-Wan though." Ahsoka says with a smirk. We all share a good-naturedly laugh at Master Kenobi's predicament, seeing as he still has to attend this meeting.


	22. Chapter 21 - The Citadel

The Citadel. This was going to be one tough assignment. Earlier this week me and Master Kenobi managed to snag six battle droids from the field and brought him back to the Temple. I managed to reprogram them to listen to R2 and R5 for the upcoming mission. R2's droids had blue markings, while R5's droids sported black paint, as a way to tell who's droids belong to who.

R2 had rolled off somewhere else once I was finished, his droids following after him obediently while R5 followed after me, determined to tease me with his posse.

I rolled my eyes in aggravation. "Why did I even put you in charge of these three droids?" I ask in exasperation.

R5 beeps back at me.

"Don't worry sir! We're ready to perform our part in the mission!" R5's commanding droid, which he had so fondly named "Mesher," told me happily.

"I know that, I'm the one who programmed you." I respond, heading through the Temple corridors to the briefing room.

R5 gave me another series of beeps. I threw him a small glare.

"Do that, and I'll let R2 pick on you for a month." I threaten him. R5 beeps sadly but relents. Good.

Ahsoka then walks around the corner in front of me. Her eyes widen in slight surprise, but she shook her head, knowing that I wouldn't let hostile droids follow me, especially with R5 there.

"Well this is new." Ahsoka remarks casually, a hand on her hip.

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, they're being used for infiltration, but SOMEONE," I say, gazing at R5 who beeps innocently. "Won't stop following me, knowing that the droids will follow him."

She raises a brow at me. "R5 is in charge of these three?"

Mesher nods. "Yes sir! We're ready to serve our Commander. We just await further orders." he says.

I roll my eyes at them with a gesture, and Ahsoka smirks in amusement.

"You must be so irritated," she says knowingly.

"Yeah." I reply before turning to R5. "I think it's time you four head to the hanger. R2 is probably there by now and blabbering about how late you are." I tell him, knowing the competitive streak between him and R2.

R5 beeps in alarm and heads that way, his droids following after him diligently. I sigh in relief once they're gone. "Finally."

Ahsoka gives me a light punch in the shoulder. "Come on, let's catch up with Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi. We're being assigned to go on this mission," she tells me.

I nod and we jog through the hallways searching for them. Once we finally reach them, we see Master Koon walking along with them as well.

"I'm sorry we're late." Ahsoka says, stopping at Anakin's side, me not to far behind. "We just heard about the briefing. So we're going to rescue Master Piell right?" she asks.

Anakin and Master Kenobi stop and give us a look, and Master Koon walks away, with what I believe to almost be a smile on his face.

"You four have much to discuss," he says, walking out of sight.

"Ahsoka, Jarik, I'm sorry we didn't tell you two earlier, but you two won't be coming along on this one." Anakin told us. I blink in surprise.

"Not coming?" I ask. "But you're breaking into the Citadel."

"The citadel wasn't designed to hold common criminals, Jarik." Master Kenobi says sternly. "It was created to hold Jedi, if any of us lost our way."

"It's not a place for Padawans." Anakin says in agreement.

"You two are just being protective, again." Ahsoka says, crossing her arms in disappointment. "How are we supposed to learn if you two won't let us share the risk?"

"This isn't a mission for learning, you either do or die." Anakin tells us firmly.

"And that's not a risk we're willing to share." Master Kenobi admits..

They then start to walk away, and me and Ahsoka share looks of disappointment.

 _"Well that was a bust."_ I say. She nods in agreement.

 _"You thinking what I'm thinking?"_ she asks me. I look at her in confusion.

 _"No…"_

 _"Let's go on the mission anyways!"_ she exclaims excitedly. I look at her in surprise. I shouldn't have expected any different, but still.

 _"What?"_ I ask in stunned surprise.

 _"Come on little Jari! I know you want to go on this mission as much as I do!"_ she tells me. I begrudgingly nod in agreement.

 _"Yeah I do… but they still ordered us off of the mission."_ I try to say. She simply sighs.

 _"Think of it this way; your skills in slicing could prove beneficial if they're needed in there, and I can be added support, or as someone to help with smaller locations."_ Ahsoka says, trying to reason with me. I sigh but nod in agreement.

 _"Alright,"_ I tell her. _"But I'm not taking the blame for this when they find out."_ I warn her. She smiles and slugs me on the shoulder. _"Agreed,"_ she says.

We start to make our way towards the hanger where the team was supposed to be gathering when I realized something.

 _"How are we going to sneak onto the mission?"_ I ask her.

 _"From what I know, everyone is being carbon frozen so that we can slip past their blockade."_ She tells me. I give off a small shiver.

 _"Well, it should definitely block the life signals."_ I say in agreement. We then reach the hanger, and look around to see the first group being prepped for carbon freezing, with Master Plo watching. I liked Master Plo. Being such close friends with Ahsoka, he was kind of like a father to me with how he was to Ahsoka.

I gave her a look. "We should probably tell Master Plo first." I say, coming out of our bond talk.

She looks over and nods in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right."

We head over to Master Plo and look at each other nervously.

"Master Plo, may we speak with you?" She asks.

"What is it little 'Soka?" he asks her, turning around.

"It's about the mission. Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi don't want us to go." she explains.

"That is their choice," he replies.

"Yeah I know, but I think he's being overly protective, choosing which assignments I can be a part of." Ahsoka says, crossing her arms in disappointment.

"Even Master Kenobi is like that, ever since we returned from Mortis really." I point out.

"Hmm. They are your Masters," he says.

"Yes, but it's not for them to decide. When and how we should put our lives in danger that should be our choices." Ahsoka says confidently. I nod in agreement. Master Plo regards us with careful eyes while we await his response.

* * *

"I can't believe he actually agreed to that!" I whisper to Ahsoka, who nods.

"Well, makes this easier for us." she says. The first half of the group was already carbon frozen, and now the second half is ready, with me and Ahsoka managing to take the two remaining spots that were originally going to be left empty.

The machine starts up and the platform we're standing on lowers down into the orange glow. Me and Ahsoka share a look with each other.

 _"Well, see you on the other side."_ I tell her. She offers me a smirk before we're lowered into the pit, and the biting cold sensation hits me hard. My vision goes black.

* * *

Some time later, I'm unfrozen from my prison of carbonate, and stretch my arms, which are stiff from being in the same position for however long we were in there. I blink my eyes a little bit to clear my vision and walk forwards onto the rocks, Ahsoka, Anakin and Master Kenobi all beside me.

"Hey Snips," Anakin says, not yet realizing what he just said.

"Hey Master," she replies, stretching her neck.

"Hey." I tell them.

Anakin and Master Kenobi then realize that we're here as they look at us in shock.

"I must be having carbon sickness because I swear that's Ahsoka and Jarik!" Master Kenobi exclaims in surprise.

"Your eyes are fine. It's their hearing that needs work," Anakin says in annoyance.

"We received orders to join the team." Ahsoka tells them matter-of-factly. "I thought you knew."

"Orders? From who?" Anakin questions suspiciously.

"We discussed it with Master Plo." I tell him with a small grin.

"He didn't tell us." Master Kenobi says in annoyance.

"You two were already in carbonite." Ahsoka replied.

"Well, we gave you both a specific order not to come." Anakin says angrily. I look away and start whistling innocently while Ahsoka gives him the same stare.

"If there's one thing I've learned from you Master, it's that following direct orders isn't always the best way to solve a problem." Ahsoka says smugly.

"I see Anakin's new teaching method is to do as I say not as I do." Master Kenobi finally says, looking at us with a smile. I offer a smile back as we left on our mission towards the Citadel.

Anakin looked at Artoo. "Guard the shuttle, Artoo. We'll contact you when we're ready for takeoff."

R2 then beeps in confirmation and I give R5 a stare with narrowed eyes. "Don't get all competitive with each other R5." I warn him.

R5 beeps innocently in reply and I roll my eyes, although with a small smile on my face. We walked along the predetermined path that would take us to one of the side entrances of the building, following along a narrow canyon wall. The lava beneath us glows a bright yellowish orange, and even from up here I can feel the heat. It's also very windy as well. Once we got within viewing distance of the prison, we stopped and Anakin pulled out his electrobinoculars to get a good view of the place.

"I see the entry point." Anakin says.

"You were right." Cody says. "The wind conditions are too strong for jet-packs."

"Yes, we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way, with ascension cables and a steel grip." Master Kenobi says.

"I don't think so." Anakin says in disagreement.

Master Kenobi eyes him in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asks.

"Electro-mines." Anakin says, looking through his scope. "There's nowhere to put a grappling hook at that height and we hit one of those, the mission's over. They'll know we're here." he tells us gravely. Master Kenobi looks through the binoculars and frowns.

"I suppose that means we free-climb it." Rex says.

"Well this is just great." I grumble.

* * *

I hate this. Climbing up the side of a cliff with certain death straight below us if we were to fall was not what I expected when sneaking onto this mission. Oh why oh why did I let Ahsoka convince me so easily? Meh, too late now.

Large bolts of purple electricity struck around us from the mines, while the wind blew hard. The process of climbing was slow but steadily going. I've had to move quickly to avoid a few electrical charges that struck to close.

"Hanging in there, Snips?" Anakin asks over the wind above us.

"Couldn't be better!" Ahsoka yells back, holding onto the wall with one hand.

 _"I could do without the wind though,"_ she tells me. I roll my eyes before continuing the climb.

"The entry point is just a few more meters." Master Kenobi tells us, quickly climbing the rest of the distance. He pulled himself up to look over the ledge before suddenly dropping down, hanging onto the ledge with one hand. He signals Anakin to be quiet, and Anakin tells the rest of us to stop moving.

The next few seconds went by slowly, as we dared not to move a muscle for fear of getting caught. Eventually, Master Kenobi peeks back up and I hear the distant sound of droids heading back inside.

Master Kenobi then looks down at us. "They locked the door! It's ray-shielded!" he tells us.

"Ray-shielded? That wasn't the plan!" Anakin exclaims in disbelief.

"Well, it's in the plan now!" Master Kenobi responds in agitation.

"Then let me up there, I'm sure I could get it open!" I tell them, Anakin nods and moves to allow me past him, while Ahsoka looks up above the door.

"There's an opening up there." Ahsoka stated.

"We know. They're ventilation ducts, but they're far too small for us to gain access!" Anakin responds.

"Too small for you maybe, but I think I can squeeze through!" Ahsoka tells him confidently. I look up to see what she's talking about and nod in agreement.

"Well, we hadn't planned on Ahsoka and Jarik being here, perhaps she's right." Master Kenobi admits. Anakin sighs but gives Ahsoka a nod, and she climbs up to the vent. As I'm pulling myself over the ledge, Ahsoka pulls herself through the vent and into the building. I wait just beyond the view of the door to remain hidden while Anakin and Master Kenobi help the clones up.

After a few moments, the ray-shield is brought down and Ahsoka leans against the door frame with a smirk on her face.

"See? I can handle myself." she says teasingly to Anakin, who walks past rolling his eyes. I shake my head in amusement when the sound of breaking rock catches my attention.

"Charger!" Fives cries out.

The sound of a clone screaming can be heard as me and Master Kenobi look over the edge to see Charger land on one of the mines, which shocks him and immediately blows up, killing him. My eyes widen in horror at the poor clone's fate, while Master Kenobi sighs in regret for the loss of life.

"Well, they know we're here." Master Kenobi says, giving me a look. I nod numbly, before we continue into the prison.

* * *

After heading through the building, Ahsoka peeked around the corner for any signs of droids before waving us forward.

"Clear," she says.

Anakin leads us forwards a little ways before stopping us at an intersection. "Take out their surveillance." he says.

Fives aims his blaster and shoots the security camera. Immediately, defense turrets take aim and fire red blasts at us, and the four of us activate our lightsabers to deflect the shots while the clones fire back, making short work of the turrets. We start to head forwards when a crackling sound gets my attention.

"The walls are electrified!" Cody says in alarm. We all run forwards and turn down a corridor to avoid it.

"Go! Go go go go!" Cody exclaims, just barely running out of the way of the energy field. Unfortunately one of the clones isn't quick enough and gets electrified by the energy field, being thrown down the hall.

"Longshot!" Cody cries out.

Master Kenobi looks at the corpse sadly before turning to Cody. "We must keep moving."

We continued through the building in search of the prison cell that should be holding Master Piell, and at one door we stopped, the four of us sensing him on the other side of the door.

"You know what to do Jarik." Master Kenobi tells me. I nod and move to the control panel, taking the cover off and fiddling with a few wires. I grab the last two and look back, the others understanding with a nod. I connect them and the door opens to reveal a Commando droid.

The Clones leap into action, firing at all the droids in the room, taking them out before they have a chance to react. Rex shoots the interrogated droid through the head, and it collapses with a cry.

Anakin takes out his saber and slashes the electrobinders, freeing Master Piell from the energy cuffs holding him up. Master Kenobi helps him down.

"Obi-wan, what took you guys so long?" Master Piell asks us, albeit still a little weak from the torture.

"At least your sense of humor is still intact." Anakin says with a smile.

"It takes more than they got to break me, young Skywalker." Master Piell stated confidently.

"So you have the coordinates for the nexus route?" Anakin asks him.

"I got them alright. Half of them anyway." Master Piell admits. "My captain's got the other half. I erased the computers when we were boarded and had both of us memorize part of the intel. That way, if somehow I cracked, the information would be useless to them without the other half," he explains.

"Where's your captain?" Master Kenobi asks.

"Being held with the other officers I assume." he replies.

"We're going to need a new plan for getting out." Anakin says, giving us all a look.

* * *

With Master Piell's best direction, we headed through the prison in search of the other officers. We were traveling down a long hallways when three Citadel Commando droids flip around the corner in front of us, brandishing their blasters.

Me and Master Kenobi activate our lightsabers and step forward alongside Master Piell, when more droids come up behind us, effectively cutting us off. Anakin and Ahsoka cover our other side, pulling out their lightsabers.

"Well, this is where the fun begins." I say, trying to keep our spirits up. Master Kenobi shakes his head with a small grin, and we wait for the droids to make the first move.

After a few tense moments, they quickly rush forward, firing their blasters as fast as they can. The clones respond to their red bolts with their own shades of blue, and the five of us swing our lightsabers, deflecting the shots.

What the droids to next surprises me, as they start to flip around on and off the walls to dodge shots, while still firing at us with precision.

The droids come closer and eventually get within striking distance, one of them slamming into one of the clones and delivering hard strikes against his armor. I vaguely notice one droid tackle Ahsoka to the ground in a choke hold when one leaps at me. The droid swings a fist at me, and I manage to move my head out of the way before slicing it's arm off.

Cody shoulder charges another droid into the wall, shooting it down while Ahsoka cuts off the head of the one on top of her, shoving it off. Master Piell slices the legs of the last droid, and we take a breather. Thankfully none of our team have been killed or hurt to badly, so we move forward.

"We need to keep moving!" Master Kenobi says.

We turn down another hallway but are suddenly met with a high pitched shrieking sound. We all cover our ears and my lightsaber flies out of my grip, along with everyone else's weapons, and to my utter shock, Anakin himself because of his metal arm.

"Anakin!" Master Kenobi cries out in surprise.

Anakin then gets shocked by a field of purple electricity, and he cries out in pain.

"Master!" Ahsoka yells in horror, holding her sensitive montrals against the sound. The shrieking suddenly stops and a guys voice laughs in pure sick delight. Four Commando droids surround us, blasters raised.

 _"You fools! I hope you enjoyed the reunion, with your fellow Jedi!"_ he exclaims. _"Because you're going to be my guests."_

Master Kenobi gives me a nod, and I understand his meaning as he conveys the same signal to Master Piell as well. Master Kenobi and I stand on one side while Master Piell and Ahsoka stand on the other.

 _"Get ready for some Force pushing,"_ I tell Ahsoka, who nods in understanding.

 _"For a very long time!"_ The guy continues.

Me and Master Kenobi throw our hands out, using the Force against the droids, while Ahsoka and Master Piell do the same on their side. To our surprise, after moving a few feet, the droids stop moving and their feet remain rooted to the ground.

"They're magnetized!" I say in realization. We push hard on the droids again, and the effort causes them to lean back really far and start firing wildly. The clones take the opportunity to rush at the droids for a fist fight, but they're easily knocked back. We continue to push as hard as we can, and the droids strain against it. I grit my teeth in exertion as this continues. Guess the Citadel really did think of every possibility of containing Jedi. Freaking magnets.

I then hear the sound of electricity and glance up to see Master Skywalker fighting through the electric generator and take his lightsaber from the ceiling, smashing through the magnet's power source.

Immediately, all of our weapons fall from the roof and I grab my lightsaber out of the air and activate it, the clones all picking their blasters and shooting the droids down. Master Kenobi advances forward and slices through one droid, but the other dodges, so I rush forward and decapitate it, then stab it through the chest for good measure.

Fives helps Anakin up from the ground. "Are you alright sir?" he asks in concern.

Anakin nods his head. "Yeah. Let's get out of here," he says.

Everyone rushes off while Rex and I hang back for a moment to make sure the area is secure. I look up to see a security camera and nudge Rex on the arm.

"Hey Rex, want to piss this guy off even more?" I ask him with a smirk. He looks at the camera and I could just imagine him grinning under his helmet.

"With pleasure sir." he says happily, shooting the camera head on.

What a savage.

* * *

Once we arrive at the detention area, I kneel down beside the door that Master Piell directs me to and get to work. While I'm slicing through the door's controls, Anakin activates his saber to attract the attention of whatever droids may be inside. After a few moments, he jabs it through the door, most likely killing a droid, and at the same time I cross wires to open the door with practiced ease. Ahsoka jumps through and kicks the other droid, stabbing it through the chest with her shoto blade.

Master Piell heads inside, and we follow right after. The prison cell holds several clone officers, and one other guy who must be the Captain. After a brief glimpse in the Force, I make a face and look away. Already this guy seemed like bad news.

"General," he says in mild surprise.

"Captain Tarkin." Master Piell answers. Clearly the relationship between these two is professional only.

"I never thought I'd see you again, and you brought friends." Tarking says, giving the rest of us a judgmental stare. He's one of those people then.

"Tarkin this is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker." Master Piell says in introduction.

"Now that you've found us how do you expect to get us out? If they've locked this fortress down there's at least ten squads on their way!" Tarkin says in displeasure.

Me and Ahsoka share looks of utter annoyance.

 _"Not even a thank you."_ I remark.

 _"Like he could do better,"_ she responds in agreement.

"It's going to be impossible to escape." Tarkin continues.

Master Kenobi walks forward with a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "What if we split up?" he offers. "My team will create a diversion, while Anakin leads the others away. That way, if one of us is captured, the enemy will only have part of the information, and not all of it."

I nod in agreement with the plan, but Tarkin strides forward with a dissatisfied look on his face. It's as if he thinks he rules the galaxy.

"General Kenobi, I think its better if we stick together. A stronger force would have a better chance of protecting the information." Tarkin says.

Even Master Kenobi eyes Tarkin with a frown of annoyance, and that almost makes me laugh. To piss off the Negotiator means you're skilled at being a huge jerk to people. Three cheers for Tarkin.

Don't cheer, actually. Please.

...

You may fire me when ready.

Anyways, Master Kenobi shook his head in disagreement with Tarkin's suggestion. "Not in this situation."

"But surely, we'd have more strength in numbers, rather than divide us." Tarkin states. I leave the cell after Master Kenobi, followed by Anakin and Ahsoka while Master Piell hangs back to discuss a little bit more with Tarkin.

 _"You think you can handle Grouchy Grandpa?_ _"_ I ask Ahsoka. She rolls her eyes at me.

 _"I'll be fine. Just make sure you don't kill yourself in this diversion."_ Ahsoka says threateningly.

* * *

After splitting our two groups up, me and Master Kenobi run down the halls, leading Master Piell, Cody, two 212th troopers, and three prisoners down the hall. As we discussed, the clones start to set off a massive load of detonators along the hallways as we run, the bombs arming as soon as they're attached to the wall.

After running through a few more hallways, I hear a battle droid cry out upon seeing us, and me and Master Kenobi turn around at the end of the hall, where a small squad of droids are watching us.

I lift an arm to my wrist-gauntlet, and one of the droids looks down at the bombs in realization.

"Bombs away!" I yell out, activating the bombs. The whole hallway explodes and a droid goes flying at us, screaming like crazy while me and Master Kenobi rush after the rest of our group, the hallway exploding behind us.

"Well that went well!" I exclaim over the sound of the bombs exploding.

"Let's just hope Anakin's team made it out of the Citadel!" Master Kenobi replies back.

This was proving to be quite the intense rescue mission, from an equally as intense prison base. Now we just have to figure out a way back to the shuttle.


	23. Chapter 22 - Counterattack

**_Jarik POV_**

After our distraction in blowing up a good chunk of the Citadel, our team escaped into the vents above the main hallways, and we crouched on our way through the tunnels. Master Piell had the advantage of being able to walk upright, which caused me to roll my eyes inwardly. We come across a large vertical shaft and stop there.

"This passage will bring us to the landing pad," Master Kenobi states. We all look up it and begin our climb.

Master Kenobi heads up first, and I follow after him on the opposite side, gripping the steel walls. The rest of the group follows after us, and Master Piell covers our rear. After climbing a few ledges, Master Kenobi stops on one corner, and I stop opposite to him.

"R5, bring the shuttle to the landing platform," Master Kenobi says into his wrist-com.

 _"We've already been given the go-ahead by General Skywalker sir, assuming you were still on schedule,"_ Mesher replies.

"The trick will be if Anakin arrives on time." Master Kenobi says with a grin.

"If that happens then the Senate has been overrun by a Sith Lord," I tell him jokingly. Master Kenobi rolls his eyes in amusement.

A moment later however, Cody yells back down to us. "A probe!"

We all look up to see it floating away, and Master Piell leaps into action, his smaller size allowing him better maneuverability in the tight shaft. He catches up to the probe and slices it in half, the pieces falling back down. Me and Master Kenobi continue our climb before looking back to Master Piell.

"Did you get it?!" Master Kenobi asks urgently.

Master Piell only stares back in concern, unsure if he destroyed it in time. Our answer comes when the passageway above us begins to close. I widen my eyes in surprise.

"Security doors!" I yell out in warning.

"Move or you'll be cut in half!" Master Kenobi shouts, dropping down next to me as the doors close where he was a moment before.

I wait a moment before dropping to land next to him as well, the door closing just where I was a moment before. The sound of the doors closing echoes around us and Master Piell's lightsaber suddenly cuts through beneath us. We watch him in worry when he breaks through.

"We lost one. Look's like we've got some cutting to do," Master Piell states, reactivating his lightsaber.

I close my eyes sadly at the gruesome death of one of our comrades, before turning my lightsaber on and beginning the hard job of manual labor to get through these doors. There's no control panel in the shaft so I won't be able to slice my way through the controls to open them.

* * *

 ** _Ahsoka POV_**

Having to escape from a super prison is bad enough. Having to do so with Tarkin making a comment or complaint every little while is even worse. I'm starting to wish I was with Jarik's group, if only to not have to listen to the sleemo. Through our bond Jarik was both amused, and irritated with Tarkin, since I've privately given him the rundown of what the GAR Captain is like.

Speaking of which...

"I'm beginning to admire the design of this fortress," he remarks. "It's rather formidable to evade."

"How can you admire, such a horrible place?" I ask incredulously.

"Ah, you reveal your shortsightedness!" he states, waving a finger, and I make a face. "This ordeal only demonstrates how effective facilities like this are. It's a pity they ended up in Separatist hands, rather than ours."

I stop walking as I take in his words, appalled by his line of thinking. The Citadel is meant for torturing people, causing as much pain as possible! Why would that be a good thing?!

Anakin walks up beside me, shrugging his shoulders. "He has a point."

I make a face, gaping at him incredulously while trying to formulate a response. Is he serious?!

"Alright Snips. I need you to lead the group," he says, before turning back. "Keep following the tunnel. I'll catch up."

"Hey, where are you going?" I ask in confusion.

"Obi-Wan and Jarik aren't here, so someone has to protect our flank," he states.

Watching him walk away, I cross my arms and allow myself a smug grin, smirking at him.

"I guess it's a good thing we came along after all," I remark proudly.

*:*:*

Since I'm leading the group, I remain at the front and move ahead to continue scouting out the route we're traveling on. Since I have a better sense of sight, smell, and hearing, it makes me a much better choice in regards to scouting.

Even so, I can pick up the faint conversation of Tarkin and Rex behind me. Hearing the obnoxious captain expressing his 'concern' for me leading, I roll my eyes in annoyance. Still, I let Rex handle the response as I keep going, only to come across a bad thing.

"Uh oh," I mutter grimly, staring at the wall before us.

"Dead end," Rex finishes, just as grim.

"It would seem that my concerns are well-founded," Tarkin states in disapproval.

"Well if you must know captain, information on the Citadel's fortress's is very old," I retort with a glare.

"A proper leader should be able to expect such obstacles, something you seem incapable of girl," he sniffs dismissively in reply.

I cross my arms with a heavy frown on my face. Before I can retort, a shout from Fives gets our attention.

"Look out!" he exclaims.

The sound of blaster fire shoes around the path as droids approach our rear and begin firing. The men all begin firing back, and I bring out one of my lightsabers to redeflect shots back at the super battle droids. Anakin then dashed forwards and slices through the droids, turning around to face the oncoming commando droids.

"What happened? Why didn't you blow the wall?!" he demands.

"I thought it was a dead end!" I tell him.

"If Master Plo really assigned you and Jarik to this mission, then he would've briefed you on the plan!" he says angrily.

I growl angrily, feeling a small sense of shame at the fact that he was right. Still, I grab one of the bags full of detonators and quickly start placing them on the wall. As I move to place another, I glance back to see the commando droids marching forwards with energy shields, and think for a moment.

Getting an idea, I take out another detonator and move forwards. I prime the two detonators and then roll them across the ground and behind the droids. One of them looks back in alarm before the detonators all explode, destroying them. I cover my face from the dust before looking back with a smile as the wall explodes as well, giving us a way forwards.

I hope Jarik's group is having good success as well.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV_**

A long while later, our group finally arrived at where we were supposed to meet up with R2 and R5, but immediately we could tell something was wrong.

"The shuttle is here, but there's no sign of R5, or of R2," Cody states, looking out the vent.

"Something might've happened. We'll have to make our way around to the other side and get a different view," Master Kenobi says gravely, and I frown.

"You don't think the Seps are on to us?" I ask.

"We'll have to make sure Padawan. R2 and R5 wouldn't just abandon the ship without reason. This could be a trap," Master Kenobi says.

I nod in agreement. Sure, R5 may be quite the mischevous little droid, but when it came to following the plan he knew how to get the job done.

Master Kenobi backs up and shoves the vent cover off the wall with the Force, with it flying into the lava below. Cody hands him the grappling gun and Master Kenobi takes it, hooking it onto another vent and pulling to make sure its secure. After giving us a confident grin, he leaps out of the shaft and down the side of the wall. Cody looks over to check his progress, and after a few moments, waves us forwards.

I head down next, taking careful and precise leaps down the line until I eventually land next to Master Kenobi. The rest of the group follows, and we walk along the narrow ledge over to a platform where we could get a better view.

I jump down, and Master Kenobi gives a helping hand to the rest of the group before he and Master Piell finally jump down after us. I regard the area with narrowed eyes. Something doesn't seem right...

"Anakin..." Master Kenobi starts to say into his com, but is then interrupted.

 _"I must commend you on your escape tactics,"_ the Separatist commander comments gleefully, making me whirl around in surprise. No one has ever hacked into our wrist-coms before, especially ones that I tinkered with. Clearly these guys knew what they were doing, and weren't the usual pushovers.

 _"But in the end, it was easy to predict your every move."_

One of the supposed barrels suddenly comes to life with a large turret, making the clones aim at it, when another barrel arms itself too. A crab droid leaps down behind us, and the doors open to reveal a squad of droideka's and Commando droids with portable shields aiming their weapons at us. I glare at them in frustration, and the commander's laugh echoes through the com-link.

* * *

 ** _Ahsoka POV_**

After traveling through the lava lit pathways of the fortress, deep in the canyon, we finally come across the fuel pipe that was planned as part of the route for us to go. I rush up to the side and then place my hand on the gritty, hot metal, closing my eyes for a moment. After sensing that the pathway inside was clear, I look back at Anakin, giving him a nod.

"This pipe leads up to the ridge, where R2 will pick us up and get us out of here," he explains to the rest of the group.

I watch as he moves forwards with a smile and starts climbing up the side and onto the small maintenance walkway there.

"There's the hatch," he says.

We all climb up onto the walkway after him, and I turn back to give Rex a hand to help him up. I watch Tarkin attempt to climb up the same way, and hide my amused grin when he fumbles for a moment. Underneath his helmet I can tell Rex is rolling his eyes and leans down to offer Tarkin a hand. Tarkin accepts it with no amount of gratitude and brushes off his uniform once he's standing, walking away carelessly. Me and Rex share a look, and I sigh quietly, helping a few more of the clones up.

Once we're all up, I move forwards to stand beside Anakin, and watch with Tarkin as he opens up the hatch. The moment the hatch is opened the repulsive smell of sulfur attacks my nose, and I cover my face instantly with a disgusted grimace, all of my senses tingling.

"Let's go, let's go! Everyone in!" Anakin says quickly.

I pull my hand away from my face and do my best to hold my breath as I move inside, looking up at the ladder. Shaking my shoulders loose, I begin to make my way up the ladder, climbing up top.

"Don't use your lights, and make sure your weapons are locked. The slightest electronic pulse could ignite this whole tube," I hear Anakin say.

"I hope somebody tells the droids that," Tarkin remarks afterwards.

"Oh they won't care, you can be sure of that," I call back down.

I sense Tarkin's annoyance at being spoken to by me spike, and withhold another irritated sigh.

* * *

 ** _Jarik POV_**

After our weapons were taken and we were forced to wear handcuffs behind our heads, we were taken to the Command center of the prison, where we were lined up in front of their commander. I make a face at his appearance. Hello ugly.

"Welcome, back." he says. He walks down the steps over to us with a major hunch.

"I must say you're not at all what I pictured. Someone with such a soft voice," Master Kenobi remarks with a grin.

I smirk at him as well. "Quite the handsome fellow to be sure. You should try for a holonet cover sometime."

He glares at us angrily and growls, while we continue to smirk at him. He sure has a short-temper.

"I want your half of the information! Give it to me now! Or I'll start executing your men." he threatens. I narrow my eyes at him angrily.

Master Piell looks down for a moment, conflicted, before glaring back with a fierce gaze. "This is war Sobeck. They're all prepared to die to protect that intel."

I flinch slightly and look at the men with worried eyes. Sobeck turns around and chuckles in dark amusement. He grabs a blaster from a Commando droid and aims it at one of the troopers.

"Really?" he asks us, shooting without hesitation.

I flinch at the shot and we all narrow our eyes angrily at him as the clone falls to the floor. Sobeck waves his arms uncaringly before pointing the blaster at the next trooper. He holds his head back as far away as he can.

"Sir. We have located the other group, and our droids are closing in on them," the tactical droid says.

I keep my face neutral, but inwardly I fear for the others, specifically Ahsoka. Sobeck grins, and tosses the blaster back to the Commando droid and walks back to his console.

"Your Jedi resolve only delays the inevitable!" he proclaims. "Take them to interrogation. Torture them, slowly."

Oh this is going to suck so bad. But I have nothing to give, and they don't know what, so I have no fear of cracking the information to them. They wouldn't dare kill us without knowing who possesses the information. Except for the men unfortunately.

The Commando droids lead us out of the room towards the direction of the cells.

* * *

The Commando droids then pass us off to a squad of battle droids, and take us to the cells, being lead by a mouse droid. We turn a corner and come across another squad of six droids. After a moment, I recognize them as R2 and R5's droids and share a relieved look with Master Kenobi.

"We'll take them from here." Mesher says, holding his hand up. The two red droids look at each other.

"Uhh... I think we have a.." one of them starts to say.

"We'll take care of it." Mesher says.

The two droids nod. "Yes sir!" They wave us forward, blasters still pointed at us and we gladly move forward into the care of our new "captors." Our droids lead us down the hall and out of sight of the others when R2 and R5 beeps at us excitedly.

I turn around in relief and look down at them.

"There you are you little trouble maker. Where have you two been?" I ask him, holding my cuffed hands out. He zaps them off and beeps back at me.

"Yeah, I'd like to get to the shuttle as well." I say in agreement.

R2 releases Master Kenobi from his bindings and the two of them free the rest of the men as well. We start our walk over to the landing platform.

"What about General Skywalker sir?" Cody asks.

"Don't worry. He'll switch to plan B." Master Kenobi reassures him.

To our relief, the droids manages to snag our confiscated equipment, and Mesher hands me my lightsaber, which I pocket in my sleeve, while R2's commander gives Master Kenobi his own. The clones don't have any way of hiding their weapons, so for the moment the droids carry them in backpacks, continuing to escort us like prisoners to the shuttle.

I have to wonder how Ahsoka's team is doing right now.

* * *

 ** _Ahsoka POV_**

While everyone was climbing up the main ladder of the pipe, I climbed up at a much faster pace along the outside cage of it. Crawling past Tarkin, he glances at me with a look of irritation, one which I do my best to ignore, and then leap up higher. I grab onto a pipe above me and then swing myself into the air, flipping onto the top of the pipes which are now horizontal. Giving Anakin a glance, I run forwards along the pipe to scout ahead.

Thanks to my biology, I can see, hear, and smell things better than the others can, which is especially useful in this dark pipe. Of course, the whole 'smell' bit is a lot more annoying than helpful, considering how horrible the stench of sulfur was.

Looking around at the sight of the pipes, I can't help but let my mind wander to how Jarik's team is doing. When we entered the pipeline I felt a bit of unease and worry strike from him across our bond, but now it's more calm and focused, which makes me wonder what exactly they're doing. Still, I'd probably take it over being stuck in a sulfurous fuel pipe. Thankfully however, I spot an exit up ahead and allow myself a smile, rushing back over to the others.

"I think I've found a way out Skyguy," I say with a smile, crouching down in front of him.

Tarkin glances at me with some annoyance, and I roll my eyes not to discretely in response. I can sense his irritation grow, as well as Anakin's amusement and exasperation.

"Well, lead the way," he replies.

Nodding, I head over to the ladder and start climbing up it, spotting a hatch above me. I reach up and carefully lift it up a small amount, peeking outside with narrowed eyes while the others crowd around beneath me. Looking around, all I can see is the wasteland of the planet's surface, along with the tower and several other pipelines. Thankfully, there are no droids.

"What do you see Snips?" Anakin asks.

"Coast is clear," I tell him.

"Any sign of Obi-Wan and the shuttle?" he asks.

"No," I reply, pushing the hatch open. "I don't see him, Jarik or R2 anywhere."

 _"Jarik, where are you guys? We've just come out of the pipeline,"_ I ask him.

 _"Heading towards the landing platform... plan changed, but we'll hopefully be there soon,"_ he replies. _"What's your status?"_

Before I can respond to him, two blasters are suddenly leveled at my head as I'm in the middle of climbing out. I glance at both blasters with an exasperated look before leaping upwards. I whip out my lightsaber and slash through the battle droids, some of the pieces falling into the pipe. Sensing more droids nearby, I turn around to spot a platoon of them marching forwards, along with a crab droid crawling on top of a rock.

"We've gotta go!" I shout down, deflecting a few blaster bolts.

 _"Kinda busy right now but, we'll be there!"_ I say back.

 _"Good. Don't be late!"_ he replies cheekily.

If it wasn't for the battle I would be rolling my eyes in exasperation. Anakin quickly climbs up to stand beside me and activates his lightsaber. The two of us work together to deflect the blaster bolts streaming for us, providing cover so that the rest of the men can climb out of the pipe. Once I see the last of them slide down the side, I give him a nod and slide down myself. Anakin quickly follows, and we run for cover behind a few large boulders as the droids climb over the pipe and continue firing.

"The plan's been compromised! The shuttle's not coming!" Tarkin exclaims angrily.

"They ran into a mishap, but the shuttle is still an option! Plan's changed!" I state.

"And how do you know that girl?" Tarkin demands with an irritated glare.

I remain quiet for a moment upon realizing my mistake. It's really subtle so I'd doubt he'd notice, but it still does raise some questions, as he just proved right now. Anakin glances at Tarkin with an annoyed look, and gives me a glance of understanding, turning to Rex.

"Throw me a charge!" he shouts.

Rex quickly tosses him a thermal detonator, and Anakin rolls out into the open once he primes it. Getting to his feet, he chucks the detonator, and the sound of clanking metal makes me realize he tossed it into the fuel pipe. A massive explosion then drowns out everything else, shaking the ground violently as the pipeline is ignited.

I press myself against the rock and hold my head to protect myself, looking up once the explosion is finished. A crab droid slamming into the ground in front of us makes me jump in surprise again, but I look up in bemusement once I get over the sudden surprise. Anakin walks over to us with a grin on his face, and I roll my eyes in exasperation.

"Let's go. time for plan B," he informs us.

"There's a plan B?" Tarkin asks incredulously.

"There's always a backup plan," Anakin states.

He walks on top of the broken crab droid, and I swiftly follow suit, marching up beside him. He then turns to me with a questioning look.

"You have an idea of where they are right now?" he asks.

I nod my head, glancing behind me before looking at him. "Jarik said they're headed for the landing platform. I'm guessing the shuttle was captured or something, but they seem fine."

He nods in understanding, looking forwards. "Alright, then we'll try and meet him and Obi-Wan there."

* * *

 _ **Jarik POV**_

We exit the building onto the landing platform, and we all take a good look at the surrounding area. Turrets manned by Commando droids are all pointing at the shuttle, and a small squad of droids guard the shuttle's entrance as well. At the moment things aren't looking too good unless we manage to convince the droids to let us fly off.

We move to enter the shuttle when a pair of droids stop us. "Hold it. Where are you going with these prisoners?" One asks us.

"We're transferring them aboard the shuttle, from Citadel to Point Terran." R2's commanding droid says.

"Point Terran? There's no outpost there." the droid says in confusion. Me and Master Kenobi share a look, nodding to each other in understanding. I ready my lightsaber underneath my sleeve.

"Uhh, its new." The droid says. R2 beeps a reply and the droid responds. "We have orders. We're coming aboard."

After a moment of hesitation, the droid allows us to pass, and we head towards the shuttle when a beeping noise catches our attention.

"Wait..." the droid says, stopping Master Kenobi.

Well crap.

The droid answers his com. "The prisoners are escaping, with reprogrammed battle droids." The tactical droid warns him. The droid looks at us in shock and realization while Obi-Wan gives him a confirming grin. "Let no one onboard that shuttle."

No sooner had the words been spoken that Master Kenobi slices the droid in half, and Mesher shot the other one down quickly. Immediately the turrets and other droids began firing at us, and we scattered. I activated my saber and deflected a few shots before taking cover with Master Kenobi and Master Piell. The droids handed the clones their weapons, and R2 and R5 took cover with four of their droids.

"Well, this is another fine mess we've gotten into!" I exclaim.

"Well as expected, things didn't go as planned!" Master Kenobi responds.

"Yeah, no kidding!" I flinch as a turret blast strikes close by. A clone trooper attempts to fire back, but is forced to quickly take cover as the turret focuses fire on his position. Unfortunately, one of the droids isn't as lucky and gets shot down.

The door opens up to allow a small squad of crab droids and regular B1's into the fire, which immediately open fire on us.

 _"We're here!"_ Ahsoka suddenly shouts across our bond.

A blue blaster bolt slams into one of the turret gunners, and I look over to see her and Anakin's team rushing for our position, deflecting fire and quickly taking cover with us.

"Sorry I'm late." Anakin says.

"How nice of you to join us!" Master Kenobi remarks.

 _"Miss me?"_ Ahsoka asks cheekily.

 _"Eh, a little bit,"_ I reply.

Ahsoka rolls her eyes in amusement, and then peeks her head out of the corner to survey the situation as droids start to swarm the platform. She ducks back after a shot hits to close.

"The ship is surrounded!" she informs us.

"We need to launch a full forward assault, and take that vessel!" Tarkin says.

I roll my eyes, immediately seeing the many flaws of that plan.

"We may have a bigger problem," Master Kenobi says, gesturing to the guns. "Those turrets. If we don't take them out they will use them to destroy the shuttle and prevent our escape!"

"Which is precisely why we should use the weapons systems aboard that shuttle, to decimate those droids!" Tarkin argues angrily.

"Captain if we charge head on towards the shuttle they'll instantly destroy it rendering your plan worthless and us dead!" I exclaim, trying to get him to understand the many flaws in his plan. Tarkin glares at me and moves to say something before Anakin stands up.

"Whatever we're gonna do we better do it fast," he says, pointing to a group of STAPs closing in on our position. They begin firing and blow up the crates we're taking cover behind, sending us to the ground.

The STAPs fly around for another pass and the five of us get up to face them. Thankfully Tarkin has enough sense to not get in our way, and we activate our lightsabers. The droids open fire and we all skillfully deflect every shot with all the lightsabers we have. Master Piell jumps off of Anakin's shoulder to slice a droid out of the air, and it goes crashing to the ground. Anakin then jumps up and kicks a droid off of its STAP and takes control.

I look at Ahsoka knowingly.

"Toss me!" I tell her.

She nods in agreement and I rush forward. Ahsoka uses the Force to throw me off of the ground and I flip through the air, slicing the third droid fighter in half, leaving one more for Anakin to deal with. I land back on the ground and run back over to Ahsoka and Master Kenobi's position. Master Piell had jumped up onto Anakin's fighter to give him some cover.

"Nice thinking you two!" Master Kenobi congratulates us.

"Thanks Master!" I respond.

We continue to deflect the shots of different battle droids, when the door opens to reveal more Commando droids this time with special shields that they can shoot their blasters through while giving themselves some portable cover.

Echo throws a thermal detonator in their direction, knocking a few droids off their feet. One of them gets back up and heads for the empty turret behind it. I continue to deflect shots back at the droids, yet most still have their shields.

I notice Anakin and Master Piell flying straight at the turret, and considered they must've noticed the Commando droid commandeering it as well. They fire their blaster cannons at the turret, but it holds firm, and the droid returns fire, its heavy turbolaser bringing the STAP down. Anakin and Master Piell get back up and fall back as the turret swivels around to shoot at them.

The battle continues on when a cry gets my attention.

"Echo, look out!" Fives shouts.

I look over to see Echo charging for the shuttle and firing at the turret, one of the shields being held in his hand. The turret aims at him, and I realize just how close he is to the shuttle.

"Echo! Fall back!" I yell out to him.

However, the shuttle gets blown up in a massive explosion, knocking us all down to the ground. I get up and see R5 laying on the ground, and help him up while Ahsoka helps R2.

"ECHO!" Fives yells out in anguish.

We all stare at the scene in horror before Master Kenobi takes charge of the situation. "We have to go now!" he tells us. I slowly turn away and leave the battlefield with everyone else, Echo's smoking helmet being the last thing I see of him.

* * *

As we run from the Citadel through the rocky terrain, Master Kenobi calls up the Jedi Temple. Once the droids took harge of us, I took the opportunity to check our comlinks for any viruses before the battle began, so we were free to call up whoever once again.

 _"Master Kenobi, what has happened?"_ Master Plo's voice comes in through the com.

"I'm afraid we had a situation with the shuttle." Master Kenobi responds. There's silence on their end, so I chime in.

"By situation, he means the shuttle got blown up, boom, end of story. We're gonna need a rescue Master!" I tell him.

 _"It will be done. I'm sending our cruisers now."_ Master Plo says, ending the transmission.

* * *

A few minutes later, we were far enough away from the Citadel that we could take a breather. Fives elected to take watch, and I watch him sadly, along with Ahsoka. We both understood how close he and Echo were, being in a similar friendship ourselves. It hit us pretty hard to lose Echo. He was a good guy, a good soldier.

"We'll need to hold out until the Council sends a ship." Master Kenobi tells us.

"Not a problem. We've beat them once, we'll beat them again." Master Piell responds confidently. Fives then finally returns from his watch.

"This landscape is almost impossible to cross. How are we going to make it to the rendezvous point?" he asks, although I can detect a small amount of bitterness in his tone.

"That, it the trap of the Citadel. It was designed so that it would be almost impossible for fugitives to get off the surface. Even if they escape the Tower." Master Kenobi says gravely.

"Hm. Lucky we're not just any fugitives." Anakin says confidently.

"I hope you're right." Master Piell says.

We begin our march away from the Tower, and into the unforgiving terrain that makes up the Citadel. Fives looks back reluctantly, and I offer him a small pat on the shoulder for comfort. He doesn't say anything, just accepts it as we move on to the last step of our escape.


	24. Chapter 23 - Citadel Rescue

Trekking through all this rock terrain was absolutely awful. By now we were far out of sight of the actual Citadel, yet lava flows and rough rocks littered the entire path we've been taking. Currently we were takin a small break in a small cavern to check up on our progress.

"We're clear!" Rex says, checking behind us for any droids following.

"What's our next move?" Ahsoka asks.

"We're going to have to fight our way off this rock." Anakin replies.

"Wonder how that will go." I muse.

"Contact the Council." Master Kenobi tells us. "See when they plan to rescue us."

"I'll handle it." Master Piell replies. He turns to Artoo, who projects a hologram of Master Windu.

 _"Master Piell, it's good to see you alive, my friend."_ Master Windu says in relief.

"Likewise, Master Windu." Master Piell replies. "Our escape route has been compromised and there are several squads of droids closing in on us," he informs them.

"When can we expect your arrival?" Anakin asks, stepping forward.

 _"Master Plo is already en route."_ Master Windu tells us. Master Yoda steps into the hologram and briefs us on the plan.

 _"Gunships will arrive to evacuate you and your men, but do not delay, only a small window of opportunity shall we have."_ Master Yoda says, showing a map of a small island in the middle of a lava lake. " _Your rendezvous point will be this island."_

"Understood." Master Piell replies.

 _"May the force be with you."_ Master Windu says, ending the transmission.

After the transmission was ended, the sound of blasters firing caught our attention.

"Incoming!" Cody shouted, pulling out his rifle.

Three Commando droids ran through the cavern, firing at us, and Rex shot one through the head, where it fell into the lava. Fives pulls out a thermal detonator and throws it at the droids before leaping towards us, just barely escaping the blast. The droids are instantly destroyed, and Rex helps Fives back to his feet. When the brief encounter is finished, we deactivate our lightsabers, which we had ignited in preparation fir a battle.

"No doubt, there's more on the way." Master Kenobi stated.

"Next time it probably won't be a small patrol group." I theorize. We continue on our way, now with a destination in mind.

* * *

On our way in the direction of the island, we came across a large cliff side, which gave us a view of the surrounding area. In the distance we could make out the general landscape of where we had to go when a crab droid appeared on the wall beside us.

The crab droid opened fire, and a squad of Commando's appeared and charged for us, blasters firing. I activated my lightsaber and deflected a few shots.

"They're boxing is in!" Ahsoka exclaims.

Anakin pulled out his grappling gun, Master Kenobi following suit.

"Lock in your cables!" he says, shooting at the ground. He attached the grappling gun to his belt and turn to R2 and R5.

"Artoo, we need your droids to hold off the enemy as long as possible!" Anakin orders. R2 beeps in confirmation and R5 turns to me, beeping out in protest.

"I know you don't like it R5 but we don't have a choice!" I tell my astromech. "There's no where else to go!"

R5 beeps sadly but relents, turning to Mesher and his battle droids.

Anakin nods in relief. "Good, everybody follow me!" he orders us.

"This is sheer madness!" Tarkin exclaims, climbing onto Anakin's back. A clone officers does the same with Master Kenobi, and they start to make their way down the cliff side.

While Ahsoka, Master Piell and the clones hold the droids back, I shoot my grappling gun into the rocks and made sure it was secure, before moving to walk down the cliff. However Ahsoka jumps on my back before I go, and I give her a quizzical and slightly annoyed look.

Seeing my expression, she explains. "I don't have a cable gun!"

I roll my eyes and start my walk down the cliff side. I noticed R2 and R5 begin to fly down the cliff and the six droids fired back at the Separatists to give us some time. Mesher managed to actually shoot down a Commando droid and damage another before he was destroyed.

"Keep moving!" Master shouted back at us.

All of us were now walking down the cliff side, but a blaster bolt shot one of the cables holding two clones, and they fell two their deaths with terrified screams. I shut my eyes at their deaths before continuing onwards. To my annoyance, Ahsoka's lekku kept swinging in my face.

"Will you move your dang lekku Soka!" I exclaimed in aggravation.

"Sorry!" she responded, holding them out of my face. We finally landed on the ground in one piece, and the droids at the top began to fire down at us.

"Keep moving! Keeping moving!" Anakin orders us, reactivating his lightsaber to deflect the oncoming shots. Cody picked up the rifle from the fallen clone and fired back, while the rest of us jumped into a hole in the ground and ran off, away from the droids.

* * *

Later on, we continued on our trek towards the rendezvous point, and were currently walking through a gulley in the rocks, a massive lava river spread out to our left down a cliff face. Then the worst part of this mission revealed itself again.

"What if your jedi friends are not there when we arrive?" Tarkin demands, unsatissfied with the plan as usual.

"Keep moving and you won't have to worry about that, Tarkin." Master Piell replies sharply, annoyed with him.

I rolled my eyes at Tarkin, the ungrateful punk. As if he could come up with a better plan. Oh wait, he can't. Every plan he's "suggested" would get us killed almost instantly.

"Why did Master Piell have to share half the intel with that guy?" Ahsoka asks Anakin.

"Makes you wonder how he even managed to score the rank of Captain with his attitude." I mumble in annoyance.

"Captain Tarkin feels the jedi should be relieved from the burden of leading the war effort." Anakin tells us.

"That's ridiculous." Ahsoka says in irritation. I nod my head in agreement.

"Maybe, but we aren't soldiers." Anakin says. "We're peacekeepers, the Jedi Code often prevents us from going far enough to achieve victory."

"A rather simple point of view." Master Kenobi says.

"Master, you have to admit it's impressive how he managed to anger you the moment we met." I comment to Master Kenobi.

He nods in agreement. "Yes, a rather unpleasant character I must say."

"Either way, he is a good captain." Anakin admits.

We stare at him in disbelief.

"You're joking right?" I ask. I turn to Master Kenobi. "Is he joking Master?"

He replies with a shake of his head, frowning in slight displeasure. We continued on our walk when a high pitched howling sound echoes in the distance behind us. We all turn around warily, trying to spot what could have caused that.

"Did you hear that?" Ahsoka asks nervously.

"Yes." Master Piell replies grimly, obviously recognizing the sound as he strides forward. "We're going to have company."

* * *

While we continue on our trek through the terrain, Anakin and Tarkin begin to enter a conversation with each other, and I roll my eyes. How anybody could have a civil chat with Tarkin is surprising, and I manage to hear him talking about how he's in the Chancellor's favor as well. I walk ahead with Master Kenobi.

"This is turning out to be quite the intense mission Master." I tell him.

He nods in agreement. "Indeed Jarik. So far I do have to congratulate you on how you've handled things so far. Despite not being originally briefed on it, you've managed to adapt to the situation fairly well." he says. I smile back at him gratefully.

"Thank you Master." I say.

"Although we will be having a little chat once this is over about you sneaking on board with us my young apprentice." he says with a raised eyebrow. I avert my eyes innocently.

"If we manage to get off this rock. I'd be more glad to escape Tarkin's presence than the planet itself," I remark in irritation.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more." Master Kenobi says. He eyes Anakin and Tarkin conversing with each other and frowns.

"Let's keep moving." Master Kenobi reminded them, interrupting their conversation.. "If we're not at the rendezvous at the exact time, we'll miss our window."

"And then we'll be food." I comment in distaste.

The same howl from before echoes across the landscape again, only this time it's much closer than before.

"Those creatures are gaining." Fives stated worriedly.

"If they've caught our scent, they'll lead the droids right to us." Master Piell says grimly.

"We're gonna have to deal with them." Anakin says.

"What about using this cave to surprise them?" Ahsoka suggested, pointing to the mess of rocks surrounding us.

I nod in agreement. "Better to become the hunters, than become the hunted." I say.

Master Piell looks up at us. "If we can get them to pass by, we can attack from behind. But we need a distraction." he says.

"Leave that to me." Anakin said confidently.

Master Kenobi cleared his throat, earning Anakin's attention, who threw him a grin.

"And Obi-Wan, of course." he says.

I roll my eyes at the two.

"Now you're starting to sound more like Master Skywalker," I say teasingly to Master Kenobi. He rolls his eyes as he and Anakin continue forwards, R2 following behind them. R5 beeps up at me in concern.

"No, you aren't in any danger from those wolves. You're a droid remember?" I tell him. He beeps again and I roll my eyes.

"Such a dramatic." I say. Ahsoka shakes her head in amusement.

"Okay, the rest of you, follow me." Master Piell says, leading us into the rocks.

* * *

After a few more minutes, we weren't disappointed when the wolves all ran past us, growling at the hope of a good meal. We peek out from behind the rocks as they run by. Master Piell looks back at us and runs forward. We all follow after him.

In the middle of our pursuit however, a crab droid climbs up out of nowhere and violently knocks one of the officers to the ground, and shoots the other. We turn around in surprise and Master Piell rushes forwards as the droid advances on the officer. He slices through its legs before stabbing it through the face.

The droid twitches, however two more climb up the side of the cliff and advance on us.

"Keep going! Ahsoka, Jarik and I will take care of the droids!" Master Piell tells Tarkin and the clones. They nod and rush off, followed by R5 and I pull out my lightsaber as the crab droids begin to surround us.

One of the droids rushes at me guns blazing, and I roll out of the way. I switch using a more proper Form III stance as Master Kenobi taught me, and begin deflecting the quick shots it sends my way. The droid tries to charge me again, but I flip over it and manage to slice off one of its legs in the process. When I land, the droid does its best to turn around and shoot again, but I'm too quick for it, and slice its face in half.

Ahsoka deflects the shots from another droid and leaps onto it, jabbing her sabers through its brain. Another droid climbs up the side of the cliff and heads for me, but I deflect the shots it sends my way and throw my lightsaber at it. The blue blade goes right through the center of the droids face, and it falls to the ground with a crash. I use the Force to retrieve it when Ahsoka's cry gets my attention.

"Master Piell!" she exclaims in alarm. I whirl around to see one of the wolves mauling him on the ground. Ahsoka leaps forward in his defense, and the wolf snarls at her as she deactivates her lightsabers. The wolf leaps forward, but she flings it over the side of the cliff using the Force before it gets close enough.

With the threat gone, we kneeled down to help him. It didn't look very good. His face was covered in wounds from the wolf biting it, and his tunic was ripped.

"I have to get help!" Ahsoka said in concern. "Jarik, you stay and-"

"No," he weakly interrupts her. "Listen to me carefully, child. The information, I need you two to deliver it back to the Council." he says, as if he knew he was going to die.

"But we can't just let you die Master!" I say in protest.

"Nothing can stop that now. Both of you must listen!" he tells us weakly.

"But we weren't assigned to the team," Ahsoka admits. "We lied just so we could come on the mission."

Obviously he doesn't care as he continues on. "Whether you two were meant to be on this mission or not, you are now the most important part of it." he tells us. I close my eyes sadly as I can sense the life fading from him, and Ahsoka senses it as well.

"Remember this, and see to it that the information I'm about to give you, is revealed to no one, but the Jedi Council." Master Piell insists. Me and Ahsoka look at each other before giving in, leaning in close to hear what the information he has to give is.

* * *

After Master Piell tells us his half of the information, his life finally faded away, and he closed his eyes for the last time. We kneeled by his body for a few moments, having never seen a Jedi killed in the war. We knew Jedi have died, General Grievous is definitely evident of that, but that didn't mean we never thought it could happen to us.

Ahsoka opted to carry Master Piell to the rest of the group, and I walk beside her, Master Piell's lightsaber held in my hand. We come across a foggy and flat field of rock, and Master Kenobi and Anakin rush towards us, already realizing what happened. The clones watch sadly as we pass by them, and Anakin takes his body and lays him on the ground gently.

"He died, honorably." Ahsoka says.

"What about the information?" Anakin asks us softly.

"We have it." I admit. "He told us just before he died."

If I had noticed the displeased look Tarkin gave us, I probably would have gone full Dark Side on his face.

Once we told them that we possessed the information Master Piell had memorized, Master Kenobi and Anakin quickly got to work in wrapping up his body with any spare cloth they could find lying around. I placed Master Piell's lightsaber in his hands as they wrapped him up, and we stood by the edge of a lavafall.

"We don't have much time. Let's take this moment to honor him. Then, we must move on." Master Kenobi tells us. He looks down at Master Piell's body sadly. "He would've wanted us to complete our mission." he says sadly.

Anakin and Master Kenobi used the Force to gently lift his body and place it in the lava river. It begins to burn and we all watch respectfully as Master Piell slowly falls over the side of the lavafall. Subconsciously, me and Ahsoka stand closer to each other and send soothing feelings across our bond for comfort without realizing it.

* * *

After the funeral, we continued on our long journey to the rendezvous point. None of us spoke, the death of Master Piell hitting everyone pretty hard. Once we reached the island, I almost gave out a sigh of relief. Almost.

"There's the extraction point!" Master Kenobi says, gesturing to the island.

Cody and Anakin went into action, shooting their cables across the lava to the island. Once they were secure, they attached them to the rock spikes on our side and gestured for the first pair to go. Unsurprisingly, Tarkin moved forward immediately, and Rex decided to go with him so that the island would have a skilled fighter for defense. Good for Rex.

When Tarkin grabbed onto the cable, his foot slipped and moved dangerously close to the lava, making his positioning look awkward. I stiffled a small laugh, covering it up when Ahsoka looked at me in amusement. I was almost wishing that he fell into the lava.

Almost.

Once Rex reached the other side, he helped an exhausted Tarkin onto the island before pointing behind us.

"Incoming!" he warns us. We look back defensively upon hearing the sound of STAPs approaching, led by Sobeck, and they fly around the island while Ahsoka and Cody climb across the cable's next.

"Look what I found!" Sobeck says gleefully.

The droids begin their attack, and Rex fires back to give the people crossing some cover. I activate my lightsaber and deflect a few shots that get to close. R5 beeps crazily right next to me, and I turn around to see a droid fighter charging for me. Immediately, I jump towards it and manage to grab onto the bottom of it, yanking hard in the direction of the island. The droid attempts to regain control, but I continue to yank on the STAP, moving us over the lava. Once I'm over the island, and reactivate my lightsaber and slice the droid in half.

I leap off of the STAP onto the safety of the island, and the droid and STAP fall into the lava.

A few more STAPs fly around us, but Anakin and Master Kenobi manages to commandeer some of their own, and use their lightsabers to destroy the rest. Sobeck advances on us, guns blazing, but R2 and R5 use their jet boosters to fly across the lava. They both eject steam from one of their sockets to blind him, and Fives takes the opportunity to shoot his STAP down.

Sobeck lands on the ground with a grunt, and starts to move towards Tarkin, growling like an animal. Tarkin opens fire, but Sobeck rushes forward and smacks the gun out of his hand with a yell, grabbing Tarkin in a choke hold and slamming him on the ground.

"Captain!" Ahsoka exclaims, rushing forwards.

"If I can't have the information," Sobeck yells angrily, lifting Tarkin up. "It will die with you!"

Sobeck prepares the throw Tarkin into the lava, but Ahsoka impales him with her shoto from behind just in time, and he falls down with a cry.

The rest of us stop running and exhale in relief.

Tarkin gets back up and straightens out his uniform. "My thanks, Padawan Tano." he says. "I see you've trained her well." Tarkin tells Anakin, walking by the four of us without another word.

"Huh," I remark. Ahsoka rolls her eyes at me in mild amusement.

"The rescue ship should be here by now!" Master Kenobi says.

"So should the rest of the Separatist army!" Anakin exclaims.

"I would prefer the former , thank you very much." I say.

Right after that, a Republic gunship flies through the smoke to our great relief, and the doors open to reveal Master Plo with his hand out.

"I believe you've worn out your welcome!" he exclaims.

Not a moment after he says that, a whole army of crab droids climb out of the lava and rush for us, blaster firing wildly. The four of us activate our lightsabers to by everyone some time as they enter the gunship, and I get in after Ahsoka, followed by Master Kenobi and finally Anakin as it begins to take off.

When the doors close, I manage to catch a glimpse of all the droids standing on the island firing wildly, and breathe out a sigh of relief.

"A moment later and we'd be crab chow." I say with a grin.

"Let's not." Master Kenobi says.

The gunship flies back up through space and Master Plo opens his comlink.

"Admiral Coburn, we have the survivors. Recall all fighters!" he orders.

 _"Yes General!"_ the admiral replies, closing the transmission.

The gunship rocks a few times as droid fighters attempt to blow it up, but luckily our escorts can fend them off. After a few more tense moments, our gunship finally arrives back at the Venator, and we can all finally breathe a genuine sigh of relief, knowing that the whole ordeal is now over.

"We're all ready Admiral!" Master Plo says through the comlink.

The fleet them jumps through hyperspace, heading back home to Coruscant.

* * *

Back at the Jedi Temple, we all exit the gunship to the platform, where Master Yoda, Master Windu and Master Fisto greet us.

"Of Master Piell's loss, sorry we are to hear." Master Yoda says sadly.

"He will be missed." Master Windu says.

"Because of his great sacrifice, we now have the nexus route coordinates." Master Plo says.

"Captain Tarkin, and Ahsoka and Jarik, have each memorized half." Master Kenobi says, gesturing to us.

"Debrief them then, we must." Master Yoda says.

Tarkin develops a small, barely noticeable look of displeasure. "With all due respect, Master Jedi," he says, not sounding too respectful. "I was instructed by Chancellor Palpatine to bring the intel directly to him for debriefing."

 _"The Chancellor isn't even a military leader."_ I remark to Ahsoka in annoyance. She shares the feeling.

"We promised Master Piell that we would deliver it only to the Council. And that's what we will do." Ahsoka says firmly. Tarkin shoots us a glare. Good, be mad.

"Hmm. Personally meet with the Chancellor, I will. Decide what is best to do, we shall." Master Yoda says, sounding a little burdened.

We all begin to walk away when Anakin and Master Kenobi gain our attention.

"Master Plo, there's something we would like to ask you." Master Kenobi says.

"Did you assign Ahsoka and Jarik to the mission?" Anakin asks.

Me and Ahsoka share a nervous look of guilt, knowing what was coming.

"It appears I did." Master Plo says. We look up in surprise, and Master Plo appears to be smiling at us from behind his mask. Anakin and Master Kenobi share a look, and I go to stand by Obi-Wan.

"Be seeing you later then?" I ask Ahsoka. She shrugs with a smirk, and walks off with Master Plo.

"A job well done General Skywalker," Tarkin says, sharing a handshake with Anakin. Me and Master Kenobi give each other a brief glance filled with surprise and mild annoyance.

"I wish more Jedi had your military sensibilities. Perhaps I shall inform the Chancellor of your valor." he says, walking away to a private ship. Master Kenobi and I watch him with a hint of suspicion before turning to Anakin.

"I'm not sure what to think of your new ally." Master Kenobi admits.

"Well I can tell you what I think-" I start to say, before getting cut off by Master Kenobi.

"Let's not take it too far Jarik," he says, although thats mainly the professional Jedi speaking for him, and not what he really thinks. I can tell.

"Sorry Master," I say in apology.

"Huh. If you were Ahsoka you'd probably have finished your sentence." Anakin remarks with a grin.

I give him a shrug. "Eh. I've always been the more sensible of the two of us." I admit. "Although I still don't like that... man." I manage to say.

"Well, I think we need people like him. This is a war." Anakin states firmly. "If we aren't willing to do what it takes to win, we risk losing everything we try to protect."

"Unfortunately war tends to distort our point of view." Master Kenobi says grimly. "If we sacrifice our Code, even for victory, we may lose that which is most important. Our honor." he says wisely.

"Make sure to remember this Jarik." he tells me. I nod in agreement.

"Of course Master."

We watch as Tarkin departs in his shuttle towards the Senate building, escorted by two troopers. Once they're out of sight, we head into the Temple.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 _ **Guest:** Usually fics like these with OC-inserts are generally unrealistic; this is geniuely enjoyable. Interestingly, though, apart from Kenobi's wit, Shan seems a lot different than Kenobi, and other than the Mandalore episode, there hasn't been much bonding between them, though I imagine this will soon change. When I remember my password (if I can), i'll give this fic a fav and a follow_

 **Glad you enjoy it! That's a problem I've noticed with many Clone Wars OC's as well. Lot's can either have very little descriptive or unrealistic detail, and can usually just copy the lines from the show onto their characters. Also, Jarik and Kenobi are pretty opposite of each other aside from wit, that's true, which makes them more fun to write.**

 ** _DanTheMan:_** _I must admit my Old Republic knowledge is a little rusty so I had to research a bit, tho looking back, I should have recognized the importance of Jarik's surname. The thing that confused me initally is how Kenobi, a Jedi master in the Council, did not believe Jarik initally when he saw Revan in a Force vision, even though it is obvious that he is a descendant of said Force-sensitive, plus the fact that they are on a planet that is extremely powerful with the force, but it made sense considering that The Jedi Council were very vain and arrogant during the Clone Wars._

 **Basically I'm having it this way: Revan was born over three and a half thousand years ago, so in my timeline the fact that he was married to Bastila was lost over time, especially when you consider that the Jedi were against attachments. So I had it that the Jedi probably chose to ignore the fact that Revan was married, since it isn't the Jedi way. Also, in the Yoda arc where he speaks with Qui-Gon, Anakin tells Yoda that Obi-Wan didn't really believe he was there, since they never knew you could manifest ones consciousness after death. The Jedi didn't believe you could retain your personality when you died.**

 _Kaitlyn: I just finished reading what you have completed. I'm going to be honest, when I started reading I didn't think I would like it very much. I wasn't sure you could pull off adding in your own character to these episodes, although you surprised me. I absolutely fell in love with Jarik, you wrote him into these stories so well that if I didn't know this series so well I would have assumed he was there from the beginning. You have captured the wit and the spirit of this show perfectly. As a side note, I absolutely love the bond between Ahsoka and Jarik. Please continue with what you are doing. Your doing great work._

 **Glad you enjoy the story! I really enjoy working on it as well :)**


	25. Chapter 24 - Visions

After the mission to the Citadel, the Council gave us all a few weeks break to recover and rest from the experience. After a few days of rest, Master Kenobi started up my lessons again, and we were currently practicing in a spar.

I swung my lightsaber at him, and he blocked the attack before offering a counter strike. I backpedaled out of the way and leaped into a quick series of precise blows, my curved hilt allowing for better maneuverability with my attacks. Master Kenobi blocks every attack however, and settles into his preferred Soresu method of combat. So to counter this, I changed tactics. I rushed forward and went into a roll on the ground, slashing at his feet while doing so. However he managed to jump above the attack and swung his saber around just as I got back up to block it.

I parried his attacks and spun around underneath his guard, holding my saber to his throat. I offered him a smug grin of victory, but he only smirked back, gesturing below. I looked down in confusion only to find his deactivated lightsaber pointed directly at my stomach. I sigh in defeat and step back, deactivating my lightsaber.

"You still got me Master." I reluctantly tell him.

"You were close Jarik, although there is still room for improvement. You got caught up in the moment again." Master Kenobi reminded me.

"Yeah, I know." I told him, still a little disappointed that he managed to catch me off guard with practically the same trick again. He patted me on the shoulder.

"One doesn't become a Master in one day you know." he says.

"Oh I am so aware of that Master. Especially with your other lessons you give me." I reply.

"Meditation is for you to be able to center yourself more in the Force. It isn't always enjoyable, but it is necessary." Master Kenobi tells me. We start to head out of the training room to our quarters.

"How do you even manage to do that kind of thing for so long? I start to get sore after sitting in the same position for awhile." I ask, stretching my arm from flashbacks of how stiff I could get after meditation.

He lets off a small laugh. "Practice, and patience Jarik."

"More like torture of boredom." I comment.

"You should consider yourself proud. After all you can tolerate meditation for a much longer time period than Anakin was ever able to." Master Kenobi says with a grin.

"Yeah, I still can't believe that you taught him sometimes. You two are like polar opposites." I say with a small laugh.

Master Kenobi sighs. "Unfortunately."

Before we can continue onwards any further, a younger kid suddenly rams into me out of nowhere, making me stumble against the wall. The kid drops an armful of holobooks and Master Kenobi helps to steady me while the kid looks up in surprise.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!" he says in apology.

"It's alright," I tell him reassuringly. We bend down to help him pick up his supplies.

"Just make sure you pay attention next time young..." Master Kenobi says, pausing when he doesn't know his name.

"Caleb! Caleb Dume Master!" The initiate says. I can tell immediately that he is both awed, and nervous about being in the presence of Master Kenobi, the famous Negotiator and member of the High Council.

I send Caleb a grin. "Oh don't worry about Master Obi-Wan. He doesn't bite!" I say teasingly. Master Kenobi throws me a half-hearted glare, and I look back at him innocently. Caleb lets out a small giggle as I hand him his last book.

"We'll run along then Caleb." Master Kenobi says. He nods quickly and rushes off to whatever class he has next.

"I would love to know what you were like at that age Master." I ask him.

"I was just like any other Jedi youngling my young apprentice." Master Kenobi responds. I shake my head with a grin.

"Maybe I'll just ask Master Vos if he knows."

Master Kenobi looks at me sharply. "Don't even think about it Jarik." he says scoldingly. I raise my hands in surrender.

* * *

Later that evening, I was reviewing a few holobooks that Master Kenobi assigned me to study for the night. It was mainly about how to conduct negotiations properly, and the ways of political discussion. It was boring work, but Master Kenobi said it was essential to learn, since before the war Jedi were usually mediators between groups of people, keeping the peace.

However I was getting distracted every so often when trying to do the work. Small flashbacks of the more violent missions I've been on kept coming back to haunt me. I sometimes heard a tank explosion, or the sound of clones dying when in reality there was nothing going on. The worst parts would be when Master Piell dies. I knew Jedi have been killed before, but even then the Masters and Knights just seemed... invincible.

I let out a sigh and closed the book, deciding to try and do some meditation to clear my mind of the war. I kneeled down on the meditation mat and did my best to clear my mind. There is no emotion, there is peace...

 _After a few minutes I opened my eyes to view a figure in front of me, standing in a shadowy landscape._

 _ **"We meet again boy..."** Darth Revan drawls._

 _My face contorts into a scowl and I shut my eyes tightly, trying to ignore him. I haven't seen Revan, Bastila, or had any more strange visions since Mortis._

 _"You aren't real..." I mutter._

 _His laugh books around me. **"I'm very real boy. You should have accepted my offer, otherwise you would have been able to save that Jedi,"** he says tauntingly._

 _"You are not real." I say firmly, trying to ignore him._

 _ **"And yet I stand here before you. I can show you how to destroy the Sith! They are just as flawed as the Jedi!"** he exclaims. I open my eyes angrily._

 _"The Jedi are not flawed! We use our powers for good!" I tell him. He cocks his head to the side thoughtfully, and I can almost imagine him smirking if I knew what he looked like._

 _ **"Define good."** he says._

I'm suddenly back in me and Master Kenobi's quarters, and quickly look around, expecting Darth Revan to appear in front of me again.

To my relief he doesn't, and I let out an exhausted sigh. I don't know whether to think these visions are real or just dreams, but I don't know why I keep seeing these figures. As far as the Jedi archives have said, Revan was an unorthodox Jedi during the Old Republic, and also became a Sith Lord at some point in time. Anything else to know about him has been lost to time.

So why do I seem to have som sort of connection to him?! And who was Bastila?

I flop onto my mattress bed with a tired sigh after changing into my nightclothes. Master Kenobi still had some things to do for the Council, so he wouldn't be here until much later. Ahsoka and Anakin were busy with all of their late work, being the procrastinators they were, and so hanging out with them wasn't an option.

I fell asleep that night with a mind full of confusion and wariness.

* * *

"Master?" I ask the next day. I was in the middle of an hour of free time at the Temple at the moment, and I had questions that I wanted answering from, but didn't know who to ask, except one person.

"Yes Jarik?" Master Kenobi replies.

"Umm, could I possibly get some time with Master Yoda today?" I ask him hesitantly. He turns to me in slight surprise and confusion.

"Why do you need to see Master Yoda?" he asks in concern.

"For the past year I've been getting these weird dreams, or visions. They stopped after we left Mortis, but they've started to come back again." I explain. "I thought Master Yoda could help me make sense of it."

Master Kenobi puts a hand to his beard in thought before nodding in agreement. "Very well Jarik. Although I have to ask why you haven't come to me about this sooner," he says.

"Well, I never really understand what any of it was, so I felt that it wasn't worth bothering you about." I respond truthfully.

"Alright then. I'll schedule an appointment with him for later this afternoon." he says.

"Thank you Master." I tell him gratefully.

* * *

"What troubles you Padawan?" Master Yoda asks me. We were in his personal quarters on the meditation sofa's, and I've never been to Master Yoda's personal room before, but it was like any other Jedi room as to be expected, just sized down for him.

"I've been receiving dreams.. or visions Master." I tell him.

"Show you, what do they?" he asks.

"Usually, it varies." I respond truthfully. "Either I've seen a woman in the distance, or a man in armor. On Mortis the woman came to me, calling herself Bastila, and the man was Revan." I tell him.

"Hmm. Another individual I sense, yes?" he deduced.

I nod. "Yes Master. As you know on Mortis, Darth Revan attempted to sway me to join him, and I haven't seen or heard of any of them since then, until last night." I tell him. "Darth Revan appeared again to tempt me."

Yoda frowns thoughtfully. "Understand why Revan appears, do you?" he asks.

I shake my head. "No Master, I'm not sure why. But from what I've noticed, they all have some dislike of the Jedi Order."

Yoda hums in thought. "Remember much of Revan and Bastila, I do not. But walked down the path, of the Dark and Light, they both did. Different, it made them." Master Yoda tells me. I look at him in interest.

"A strange connection to them, I sense in you Padawan. Guilt, I also sense." Master Yoda says.

I look away nervously. "I feel like Master Piell's death is partway my fault," I admit.

However he gives me a kind smile. "Responsible for his fate, you are not. Neither is Padawan Tano responsible. Learn to let go of your guilt, and overcome these visions you will." he tells me.

I nod, taking in the advice.

"Thank you Master." I tell him, the brief session finished.


	26. Chapter 25 - Padawan Lost

"So, Felucia." I say casually.

"Yup." Ahsoka responds. "Apparently the Seppies want to build another base there, so we have to chase them out again."

"Well, then bring the rain Sweetie Horns!" I tell her with a grin. "If you don't then I'll be both surprised, and disappointed."

She rolls her eyes and gives me a light punch in the arm. "The only one who'll be disappointed is you when you realize you can't beat my killcount," she says with a smirk.

I wave my hand and walk back inside the Temple. "Keep telling yourself that Soka!"

* * *

Master Kenobi began to lighten up on my workload, since in two weeks we would both be heading back into the field, so he wanted me to spend some time preparing myself again. This also allowed me to have a more maneuverable schedule, so I took the free time I had to walk around the Room of a Thousand fountains. Three rotations had passed since Master Skywalker and Ahsoka departed to Felucia, so they should be returning at some point today.

I walked through a grove of trees and looked out over a small serene pond. The fact that the Temple could still hold such a large forest and natural area inside of it was still baffling to me, but considering the size of the Temple, it could definitely fit into the base.

I heard some sort of strange bird-like call and looked up to where I heard it. Sitting on a branch above me sat some strange, owl type bird. I believed it to be a convor, yet something about it was strange. It was colored a creamy white, with light green feathers along its back. What was strange about it was how it seemed to look at me with intelligent eyes. I stared back at it for a moment when it flew away, disappearing through the brush.

Strange, but whatever.

I checked the time on my chronometer and started heading towards the hanger bay. The attack force sent to Felucia should be back within the hour, and I decided to go greet them since I had nothing else to do.

* * *

Once I reached the hanger, I waited for the team to return and wasn't disappointed as a few gunships transporting Anakin and Master Plo's squads touched down in the hanger. However when I felt along the bond, it still felt really far away, and I frowned in confusion. Was this the wrong group?

The gunship's doors opened and Master Plo walked out of his, and Anakin walked out a moment later. However Ahsoka... wasn't there.

Upon seeing me, Anakin rushes towards me and I immediately knew something was wrong.

"Master Skwalker?" I ask hesitantly, with a bit of confusion.

"Jarik! I need your help, and you're the best person I know for this kind of thing," he says urgently. Master Plo walks up to us calmly.

"Why? Where's Ahsoka?" I ask.

"We don't know! She went missing during the attack!" he told me in a panic. I blink for a moment before fear and worry starts to seep in.

"W-what? How?!" I exclaim in worry.

"That's what we're looking to find out." Master Plo says, laying a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Considering your expertise in monitoring frequencies and slicing into different things, I suggested that you would be our best chance of helping to find her."

I look between the two of them quickly, Master Plo managing to remain calm while Anakin was a bundle of nerves, fearful, worried, and angry all at the same time. I reach out across the bond and give a hard tug, but don't get to much of a noticeable answer in reply. The good news is that she's still alive.

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod quickly. "Ok. Follow me." I tell them, rushing back into the Temple. Anakin runs after me, and Master Plo walks after us, ever the calm Jedi Master.

"Can you reach out to her?" Anakin asks me when there's no one around.

We turn a corner and I give him a fearful look. "All I know is that she's alive! But she's to far away for me to connect!" I tell him. On our way to the holomap room, we collide into Master Kenobi, and all three of us fall to the ground.

"W-wha- Anakin! Jarik! What in the blazes are you two doing?" Master Kenobi sputters out as we quickly stand up.

"Ahsoka's missing!" Anakin tells him quickly, running off again. I follow right on his heels, although Master Kenobi rushes after us.

"Anakin! Stop for a moment! What are you talking about?" he demands. Anakin stops and turns around to him, obviously aggravated.

"I don't know alright?! In the middle of the mission she was supposed to scale the back wall of the base, yet the clones reported that she never followed up after her! She just vanished! And her lightsabers were just left there!" he exclaims, and I notice for the first time that he was carrying Ahsoka's main saber in hand, while her shoto rested on his belt.

I widen my eyes in horror. "She never goes anywhere without her lightsabers! Not willingly!" I say in disbelief.

"Do you have an idea of who could've taken her? It's obvious that she was captured." Master Kenobi says.

"Not a clue. We destroyed all the droids, there should've been nobody around!" Anakin replies.

"Less chatting, more finding!" I say, irritated. Anakin nods in agreement.

"Come on," he tells me, running off. I follow after him quickly, and Master Kenobi quickly moves after us.

Once we reach the main holotable, I activate it and start searching the systems surrounding Felucia. I told R5 through my wrist-com that he better get his shiny dome in here before I dismantled him. Soon enough, he heed my warning, and I had him plug into the table. Master Kenobi arrives not long after.

"Where do you suggest I look first?" I ask Anakin.

"We alerted our forces throughout the Outer Rim that she's missing, so see if you can hear anything through their transmission." Anakin tells me. I nod to R5 and he starts to listen in on the different channels that Republic troops have been using. Normally, Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker would be appalled that I'm slicing through our own communications, and I probably would receive a scolding, but Anakin was... Anakin, and Master Kenobi understood that the situation was to dire to worry about that right now.

"If you've alerted the army throughout those sectors, then we should focus more on areas that we don't have as much control over." Master Kenobi suggests. "That way we can increase our chances of finding her."

I nod in agreement and start zooming in on planets that have less population. Me, Anakin and Master Kenobi continue our search for any clues to Ahsoka's whereabouts, and it's only through my determination to find her that I'm not freaking out right now.

* * *

It's been hours, and Master Kenobi had to leave for another Council meeting, and me and Anakin were still standing at the holo-table looking for any clues to Ahsoka's whereabouts.

"What is Ahsoka's strength?"

I glance up to see Master Plo walking down the steps before returning my gaze towards the holomap.

"She is fearless." Anakin says.

"She never gives up." I add.

"Those traits, can also be a weakness." Master Plo replies. The comment hurts, but I ignore him, continuing to shift through possible planets. "Is she a worthy apprentice?"

"No one, has her kind of determination." Anakin says firmly. I nod in agreement.

"Except you Skywalker." Master Plo remarks.

"I'll find her!" Anakin says fiercely. I look up as well. "I'm not giving up on her either Master Plo." I tell him.

"This may not be within your power," he tells us. I look back at the map, frustrated.

"Whatever you're trying to say Master Plo just say it!" Anakin responds in aggravation, looking at him.

He looks down for a moment before walking back to the exit. "I am suggesting that perhaps, if you have trained her well, she shall take care of herself, and find a way back to both of you." Master Plo says. "She cares too much about both of you to stay away forever."

Master Plo exits the room, and we return to staring at the map. I feel so helpless right now. For all my skills in finding things otherwise hidden on the holonet and private com channels, nothing is being found. Whoever took her must really be skilled at this sort of thing.

* * *

Overnight I only allowed myself two hours of sleep at maximum, and R5 would monitor the map with the protocols and skills I've programmed into him while I couldn't be there. Anakin refused to sleep, so when I returned the next morning, he was still there, although he looked like he was about to collapse. Master Kenobi walked in after me, and gave Anakin a concerned look.

"Anakin, you've been up since you returned. You need to rest." Master Kenobi tells him gently.

"I can't just quit now because I'm tired!" he snaps back, but his voice sounds exhausted.

"You won't be able to help her if you fall unconscious from a lack of sleep." Master Kenobi tells him firmly. I head over to the holomap, continuing with my efforts and quietly speaking with R5.

Anakin doesn't respond to Obi-Wan.

With a sigh, he lays a hand on Anakin's back. "You need rest," he insists. "Jarik can continue the search while you get some sleep and food." Master Kenobi tells him.

Anakin lowers his head with a frustrated sigh and looks over at me. "You'll find her right?" he asks, a little tense from stress.

I shoot Anakin an angry glare. "What do you think?" I reply tensely.

Satisfied, Anakin allows Master Kenobi to lead him away, and I return to studying the holomap. I continue to review any possible transmissions that R5 managed to pick up, and scroll through them on my datapad.

"No... no... no... no!" I exclaim in frustration, tossing the datapad onto the table. R5 looks up at me and beeps sadly.

I put my head in my hands, lost and afraid. I already lost Ahsoka once, and I can't bear to lose her again.

 ** _"You should've heeded my advice young one..."_**

I can practically hear Darth Revan's voice in my head, taunting me.

 _ **"She is going to die, because you weren't strong enough to save her. The Jedi lost her..."**_

"She won't die!" I whisper harshly, my hands curling into fists. "I will find her..." I whisper again.

Darth Revan's voice fades away with a laugh, and all is quiet again.

I exhale, letting my grief flow shakily out of my body with each breath, and do my best to center myself in the Force, to think clearly.

R5 beeps sadly to me.

"I know buddy. There's just no way for you or me to find her this way..." I start to say before stopping in realization.

"Unless..." I lift my head up, the gears turning as I think of a far fetched but desperate hope of a plan.

"R5, scan any Outer-Rim or Mid-Rim planets that have very little population. Go through any calls for help, no matter who they're from until you find clue. No matter what direction or strength the call is, listen to it and tell me if you've found a clue." I tell my droid firmly. He beeps in confirmation and plugs into the terminal, searching through different calls for help at a very fast pace thanks to my upgrades to his processor.

I search through empty planets on the terminal for any type of hunters or bounty hunting scum. I think we've been going about this all wrong. If the Separatist did capture her, they would just kill her or use her as leverage against us. And the fact that her lightsabers were left behind indicates it isn't Grievous. None of the signs point to Separatist being involved, so that meant it had to be some random hunters looking for their own quality of entertainment.

A few minutes later, R5 beeps happily. He found something!

"What did you find?" I ask hopefully.

R5 reveals a hologram from translation, and a Wookiee's roars filter through. I don't understand it, but R5 uses a simple translation program to break down what the Wookiee is saying into Basic.

 **"Captured... with Jedi younglings... need help!"**

Once I read the message, I stand up joyfully. "R5, trace that signal! We're going out there!" I exclaim happily. R5 complies, and he reveals that the signal was sent from a Mid-Rim planet called Wasskah, and it was headed for Kashyyyk.

Being the only clue we have, and confirming that there was nothing else to be found, I sent a small message to Anakin and Master Kenobi to let them know. I then rush towards the hanger with R5 hot on my heels, headed for my starfighter. I know that what I'm about to do is probably against the rules, leaving the Temple without authorization, but I don't care right now, and I'll deal with the punishment when I get back. Oh Master Kenobi was going to be upset.

* * *

I somehow managed to sneak past the usual security, and finally exited hyperspace above Wasskah. I deactivated from my hyperspace ring and fly down to the surface. R5 beeps at me.

"Another ship is already headed there?" I ask. He confirms it with a beep. "Must be the Wookiee's then." I finally say.

In the middle of my hyperspace jump, Master Kenobi contacted me.

Needless to say he was... pissed off that I left without permission. If Anakin were to pull something like this he would be aggravated, but I was his Padawan, not yet a Knight to do whatever. I flinched at the threats he gave me.

"R5, track that ship. Let's see where they're going."

He beeps in acknowledgement and I fly after them, heading through the atmosphere. Once I get close to the surface, I start to sense through the bond that Ahsoka is getting close, much to my relief. I tug over it, and I sense shock and surprise, but also great relief as she responds just as quickly. I breathe out heavily before flying in the right direction.

Eventually I see a large floating fortress, and to my surprise, Sugi's ship floats down to release a group of Wookiee's, who begin firing at Trandoshan hunters. I look at the main platform and see a massive struggle going on, and can just barely make out the forms of Jedi younglings.. and Ahsoka!

"Take over R5! I'm going down there." I tell him.

R5 beeps in confirmation and flies towards the platform while I unbuckle myself. Once he flies over it, a Trandoshan takes notice and begins firing a large machine gun at us, but R5 opens the cockpit for me and I leap out, activating my lightsaber.

I manage to catch a glimpse of shock from some of the younglings, Wookiee's and Trandoshan's, and then I land with a flip as R5 flies out of range of the minigun.

Two hunters immediately open fire on me, but I roll to the side and begin deflecting blaster bolts, moving forward quickly. They try to back away from me, but I use the Force to smash one of the hunters into the wall. The other is taken out by one of the Jedi younglings, who kicks him in the face.

He looks at me in awe and I give him a nod, turning back to the battle. Wookiee's are in melee contests with the Trandoshan's and its obvious that the Wookiee's have more warrior training. Ahsoka looks over to see me, and her face immediately lights up in pure joy. I share the same look, before deflecting a shot one of the hunters tried to pull on me.

As much as the two of us would like to reunite, we're in the middle of a battle, and manage to put off our feelings for now. The Trandoshan fires at me with a rifle, and I block the shots with my lightsaber, rushing towards him. Once I'm close enough, he attempts to swing out with his fist and catch me by surprise, but I lean out of the way and slice his blaster in half with a twirl. I charge up another Force push and slam the hunter into a wall, who then falls unconscious.

"Jarik!" Ahsoka cries out. I look over to see her rushing for me, coming to a stop.

My oh my is she filthy, covered in dirt.

"Can you give me a boost?" she asks, pointing towards the upper level. I look up and throw her a worried glance. At her determined stare I reluctantly nod. She backs up before running towards the wall, and I give her a boost at the same time she leaps upwards, and she enters the building. I look at the door with worry before the sound of blaster shots gets my attention.

Two Wookiee's and the Twi'lek Padawan are pinned behind a speeder, with the hunters firing nonstop at them.

I quickly move over there and gain their attention.

"Hey! Overgrown lizards!" I yell, causing them to snarl at me.

Fortunately they aren't very bright, and immediately shoot at me, not paying attention to their previous targets. As I block the blaster bolts with my lightsaber, one Wookiee leans outwards and aims, shooting at one of the hunters. He gets shot in the chest by the green bolt, and goes down with a cry. His buddy turns to him in surprise, and the Twi'lek takes the opportunity to remove the speeder with the Force, exposing his position. He turns around in surprise.

"What?" he asks in confusion, then gets shot by another green blast. I manage a small laugh at his funny reaction to the speeder being moved.

"Well that went well." I finally say, lowering my lightsaber. The Wookie's roar at me triumphantly, and the two young Jedi move over to me, showing signs of awe and relief.

"We've finally been found," one of them says happily.

I'm about to respond when the sound of crashing doors gets our attention. We look up to see the last Trandoshan fall off of the platform with a cry, his gun falling from his grip. He hits the ground hard, and we all look up to see Ahsoka standing at the railing, exhausted, but victorious. I deactivate my lightsaber as the Wookiee's roar in victory.

Ahsoka leaps down from the balcony and runs toward me, tackling me in a hug. I stumble in surprise but return it fiercely. The Wookiee's all talk to each other and the two younglings converse with themselves happily.

We send joyful and reassured feelings across our bond, and Ahsoka breaks the hug, her eyes tearing up a little bit, although she quickly brushes them away.

"I can't believe you found us." she says. I throw her a grin.

"Who do you think I am?" I ask rhetorically. She just smiles and I take the opportunity to tease her.

I look her up and down with a frown. "You are covered in dirt, and it's ridiculous."

She sighs and shakes her head. "How did you even get here in the first place?"

I rub the back of my neck nervously. "Well... when R5 intercepted a Wookiee cry for help... I sort of... flew away without permission." I finally tell her. She gapes at me in shock.

"Y- Are you serious!? You flew away from the Temple without permission?!" she exclaims in disbelief.

"I Obi-Wan and Anakin know where I was going!" I say in defense. She shakes her head disbelievingly.

"You are so dead when we get back."

I sigh and slump forward glumly. "Yeah, I know." I mutter.

* * *

Once we landed back at the Temple, I exited my starfighter as everyone else left the bounty hunter ship. I headed over in their direction, R5 following after me, and then notice Anakin, Master Plo, and... oh no... Master Kenobi headed for us.

I tried to hide with Ahsoka, but Master Kenobi got there first, glaring down at me in disapproval. Ahsoka smirks at me and walks over to Anakin, who rushes towards her in relief.

"You and I have much to discuss Padawan." Master Kenobi says sternly, a little disappointment shining through.

I flinch at his tone. "Yeah... not my best moment is it?" I ask timidly.

"It most certainly is not!" he tells me. We're silent for a few moments when he sighs.

"Because of the situation, and that you managed to help find them, I'll allow you off of the punishment for the rest of today." he finall tells me. I look up at him in surprise.

"Really?" I ask.

"And then for the remaining time before our next assignment, your punishment will be carried out, sorting through books in the archives, and double the workload I'm giving you." Master Kenobi says. He then takes my lightsaber from my belt. "And you won't be using this until the punishment is over."

I look down, slightly ashamed of my reckless action, just leaving the Temple without permission but nod. "Yes Master."

He huffs and gives me a slightly softer look. "Just, don't do something like this again. Spend the rest of the day with Ahsoka if you wish, but I expect you awake and ready by 0700 tomorrow morning." he tells me.

I nod again and he waves me off into the Temple, where Anakin and Ahsoka are already heading inside. R5 beeps after me in amusement.

I guess I deserve it this time.


	27. Chapter 26 - Darkness on Umbara

Since Ahsoka was kidnapped by Trandoshan hunters, over two months have gone by. In that time period me and Master Kenobi have been on several attack missions against the Separatists. Ahsoka, Anakin and Senator Amidala recently finished up with the civil war between the Mon Calamari and Quarren people of the planet Mon Cala. Now, me and Master Kenobi were preparing to leave for the planet Umbara, which has aligned itself with the Separatist cause. After smashing through the blockade surrounding the purple and red planet, we were meeting in the hanger bay of our capital ship to discuss the plan for the invasion.

"Master's Krell and Tiin will be supporting my and Jarik's forces in the South, while Anakin's battalion comes in from the North and takes out enemy reinforcements." Master Kenobi says, pointing to the map of the area. "It is imperative that we conquer the capitol city as quickly as possible, and hold it."

Anakin steps forward. "Our biggest problem is going to be the local militia. The Umbaran's have aligned themselves with the Separatists, and are heavily armed," he warns the troops. "ARC trooper Fives will be assisting my unit on special assignment."

Fives steps forward, brandishing his blaster proudly. "Ready to do my part General Skywalker."

"Nice to have you on board," Rex remarks.

"Just like old times Rex." Fives responds fondly.

"Remember Anakin, Cody, Jarik and I will be twelve clicks to your South. We're counting on you to take out those local fighters, or the capitol I'm afraid will never surrender." Master Kenobi warns him.

Anakin sighs and crosses his arms. "Does my battalion have to do everything?" he asks with a grin.

"You do everything whether you get assigned to that or not Master. Besides, I thought you liked challenges." I tell him with a grin.

"Very funny," he remarks.

With the briefing over, me, Cody and Master Kenobi walk away from the 501st to prepare for our assault on the capitol.

* * *

The first wave of the invasion once we all landed on the surface was intense. The last time I was in a battle of this scale was my first mission, back when we retook Geonosis a second time. Nothing will ever compare to that monstrosity, but this was a close second.

The Umbaran's used weapons that I had never seen before, showing that they clearly kept to themselves in terms of technology. What would account to heavy cannons for us, were strange machines that would fire glowing balls of silver energy at a fast rate. even their common blasters were different, shooting green laser bolts at us. Add that to the fact that the planet was constantly shrouded in mist and shadows made it very crazy.

"Come on men! Push forward!" Master Kenobi shouts.

"You heard him men let's go!" Cody yells, shooting his rifle. OVer the last two months, the clone troopers of the GAR got an upgrade in the armor department. Before they used what is now called Phase 1 armor. But now they have a new set of armor called Phase 2, which provides the same or improved defense as the old armor, but had much better maneuverability for the wearer, allowing for greater movement in the heat of battle. Plus, it looked cooler.

I deflected a few green bolts away from me, and occasionally managed to send it back to the shooter. Dirt flew everywhere from the constant explosions, and I covered my face from a near miss shot.

"I hope Master Skywalker is faring better than we are!" I tell Obi-Wan.

"If I know Anakin well enough, they probably have it worse than we do!" he replies, blocking another shot.

"Aww this ain't so bad!" Boil exclaims gleefully, shooting down another soldier. "I'm starting to have some fun!"

"Only you could have fun in such an intense battle like this Boil!" Waxer says in exasperation, taking cover behind a tree.

"I think Hardcase has you both beat!" I tell them with a grin, the rest of us taking cover behind the ridge as well. "He's a minigun firing maniac!"

Boil laughs. "He sure is Commander!"

The Umbaran's continue to fire at our cover, and we wait for the proper moment to leap up and increase the pressure of our attack. That moment comes when their cannons freeze for a moment in order to recharge their power.

"This is our chance! Let's go!" Master Kenobi says, leaping up from the ground. We all follow after him, shooting or deflecting shots as the invasion continues with us slowly but surely getting the upper hand in the first wave.

* * *

This initial attack has continued on for quite a long time. Explosions littered the air above us as our air support continued to bring in more troopers and walkers, while the Umbaran's did their best to shoot them down.

For the moment, the ridge appeared quiet, which meant that Master Skywalker probably fought off the first attack force. The 501st was always ready for a good fight, and Master Kenobi and I continuously joked about their willingness to jump into a pit of droids just because they were bored. Normally Ahsoka would be with them, but she taking a break at the Temple from the recent Mon Cala war. Anakin would be with her as well, but the war has stretched our forces thin across the galaxy, so the 501st was needed essentially in order for this attack to be to work.

The ridge then lit up with activity again, which meant that they had engaged another force, or were ambushed. Most likely an ambush.

I deflected a few more shots and took a breather behind a rock that poked out of the ground when Cody rushed up to me.

"Sir, just received a request for an airstrike on that ridge!" he informs me. I nod in understanding.

"Thank you Cody. I'll let Master Kenobi know!" I tell him.

"Yes sir!" he responds, heading back into the firefight with his brothers.

I reactivated my lightsaber and rushed out from behind the rock, deflecting blaster bolts that were headed my way. A small squad of either brave or foolish Umbaran's ran towards me, guns blazing. I dodged a few blasts and the ran at them, quickly cutting a few down with my lightsaber. I was uncomfortable with killing living beings instead of droids, but unfortunately this was war, and there was no way for us to get around that fact, so I made their deaths as painless as possible.

I eventually reached Obi-Wan's position, and he just took care of a small group of Umbaran's with his own men.

"Master! Anakin just requested an airstrike on their ridge!" I told him. He nodded in understanding, activating his wrist-com.

"This is General Kenobi, requesting an airstrike over the ridge in sector 8-4!" he says.

 _"Yes General! Sending a bomber squad now!"_ a clone replies.

With the message sent out, we wait for the bombers to attack the ridge. We aren't disappointed when a couple of Y-Wings carpet the entire place with a massive fiery explosion.

"Good old Oddball." Boil comments.

I nod in agreement.

* * *

A few days have passed by throughout the invasion. Our battalion continued onwards towards the capital, taking unfortunate losses due to the heavy resistance, but making steady progress as well. However the invasion as a whole has had to alter our tactics, due to Anakin being called away back to Coruscant by the Council and the Chancellor himself. Why the Chancellor continues to show interest in calling Anakin to meet up is beyond me. You'd think he could understand the importance of these invasions enough to realize that calling Generals away for meetings is not a good move. Unfortunately that's just how it is, so we have to make due with what we've got.

Luckily the 501st is staying here, which won't hinder the invasion too much. What is a concern for me, and to some extent, Master Kenobi as well, is that Master Krell is being put in temporary command of the 501st until Anakin returns. Looking at Master Krell's victories over losses you would think he's a good General. However when you look at the casualties he takes, it makes you frown in distaste. I've even heard rumors that he treats the clones like trash.

However even with his reputation he's technically being doing nothing wrong, so he's remained a General and a Jedi throughout the war.

"I hope this doesn't come to bite us in the back later on," I tell Master Kenobi, expressing my concerns.

"Indeed." Master Kenobi says in agreement.

* * *

We were finally at the capital city, and the attack to secure it has been going on for a little less than an hour now. However even with our battalion and Master Tiin's joined up with Krell's original force, things weren't looking too well. The city itself was absolutely rigged full of cannons, gun emplacements and booby traps on the surrounding grounds, which caused us great problems in trying to move forward. To make matter's worse, the 501st wasn't here, so Master Kenobi and I called up Master Krell to check on his progress.

"The capital city is too fortified! We need your battalion to help us take it!" Master Kenobi says urgently.

Master Krell continues to wear the same neutral expression. _"Resistance from the Umbaran's is greater than anticipated. We're holding our ground at the moment."_ he informs us.

"Jarik managed to gather some intel about an airbase to the West. It is resupplying the capital's defenses." Master Kenobi tells him. We hear an explosion from the hologram and Rex comes into view.

"If you could capture that airbase it'll sever the capital's supply lines, allowing the rest of our forces to move in!" Master Kenobi suggests.

 _"I'll see to it that the airbase is placed under our control."_ Master Krell reassures us.

"Remember that the entire invasion depends upon the 501st's success Master Krell!" I remind him. Rex looks up at Krell in the hologram while Krell nods in understanding. He disconnects the transmission and I give Master Kenobi a look.

"I hope those guys are alright. Force knows how upset Anakin would be if something bad were to happen to his troopers." I say worriedly. Master Kenobi strokes his beard thoughtfully.

"Let's hope that Captain Rex and Master Krell can work well together on this mission." he says.

* * *

While we heard the good news that the 501st managed to take the airbase, our battalions were unfortunately forced into a retreat. Even though it was definitely noticeable that the Umbaran's were starting to have a lack of supplies, their attacks suddenly got more intense, and I managed to intercept a report that stated they were receiving new shipments from a supply ship in orbit around the planet. Master Kenobi ordered our cruisers to take it out, but the supply ship was surrounded by an entire fleet of warships, making things difficult. So we contacted the airbase.

 _"General Kenobi, do you read me?"_ Master Krell asks through the transmission I managed to set up. They were using the Umbaran transmitters to reply, which made things a little tricky, but I managed to stabilize it.

"Congratulations on you capture of the Umbaran airbase General." Master Kenobi says. "It's refreshing to have good news."

 _"There will be time for celebration when we've taken that capital."_ Master Krell states with his arms crossed.

"Yes, well I'm afraid that's going to be more difficult than anticipated." Master Kenobi says. "Their attacks have increased, and their long ranged missiles are forcing us to retreat from our positions."

 _"I was hoping we'd cut off their armed shipments and supplies when we took this airbase."_ Master Krell says in irritation.

"Apparently they've started to receive new shipments from a supply ship that is orbiting the planet Master." I inform them. However, the transmission starts to receive interference, and I return my attention to fixing the problem.

 _"General... nobi?"_ Master Krell asks.

"They're attempting to jam our signal. I don't know how long I can keep this up with the limitations I have right now." I tell them.

 _"Can't we destroy the supply ship?"_ Rex asks in concern.

"We're trying. But with little success. Their fleet outnumbers ours, and the extra ships we were promised have not yet arrived." Master Kenobi says grimly.

Master Krell develops a determined look on his face. _"We'll just have to take that capital regardless of the missiles."_ he says.

Me and Master Kenobi look at each other in surprise

 _"My battalion will meet you at the rendezvous coordinates."_ Master Krell tells us.

"We cannot expect that plan to work General!" Master Kenobi says in protest, but the transmission shorts out, and I sigh in frustration.

"The comlink is dead. What is Master Krell thinking?" I exclaim in irritation and worry.

Master Kenobi frowns grimly. "I don't like the sound of what he's planning. If he charges the capital while the supply ship is still in orbit, the battalion will obtain heavy casualties. We can't risk something like that." he says.

I shake my head in frustration. "Obviously he see's the clones as no more than cannon fodder."

"Unfortunately, there's little we can do about it at the moment." Master Kenobi says grimly.

I could only hope that Master Krell's strategies aren't going to cost us the invasion of Umbara. Or worse, get the entire 501st battalion killed before Anakin can return, if he'll even be able to return.

* * *

 _Hey there my wonderful readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As you know, the Umbara Arc in season 4 of the Clone Wars focuses on the 501st battalion, specifically Rex and Fives, so I didn't have much to work with in terms of what went on for Obi-Wan's side of the invasion. Hopefully I managed to write it well enough for you guys. Thanks for reading this story! I really enjoy writing it!_


	28. Chapter 27 - Carnage of Krell

Since our assault on the capital began, it started off strong, before going into a retreat. Now we were in a long stalemate with the supply ship destroyed thanks to the efforts of the 501st. How they managed it is beyond me, but I'm just glad they were able to get it done so successfully. However Master Kenobi summoned me to the temporary command center, away from the front lines.

"What's wrong Master?" I ask him.

"I've just received word from General Krell that a platoon of his troops were attacked, and the clones gear was stolen." Master Kenobi tells me. I widen my eyes in brief surprise. "He advised me to take care that the Umbaran's may disguise themselves as our troopers in order to sneak past our lines."

"So what are we going to do about it?" I ask in concern.

"He said that the enemy was headed in our direction, most likely to catch us by surprise while we're focused on the capital." Master Kenobi tells me. "I need you to take a platoon with Boil and Waxer and intercept that group before they reach us."

I nod in understanding. "Of course Master. But how will we know if they're Umbaran's or clones, if they really are disguised?" I ask.

"That's why I selected you to go," he told me. "You'll be able to sense if they're in disguise or not."

"Then I guess I better get going." I say.

"Be careful Jarik." he says cautiously. I throw him a grin as I walk out of the room backwards. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything you would do." I tease him.

He rolls his eyes at me as I leave to go round up a platoon.

* * *

"So the shadow people are disguised as us huh?" Waxer asks me.

Right now I had gathered up a decent sized platoon of troopers alongside Boil and Waxer in order to intercept the possible threat before they could surprise us.

"That's what Master Kenobi told me." I respond, stretching out with my senses as we moved through the misty forest.

Boil laughs in amusement. "If these guys think they can trick us, they've got something else coming for them!" he says. I shake my head in amusement.

"Always the enthusiastic person eh Boil?" I tell him with a grin.

"Of course sir! Someone has to keep the 212th entertained!" he says cheerfully.

"Right. Like you and the little girl Numa?" I ask with a cheeky grin. Waxer and a few other troops laugh in amusement while Boil grumbles.

"Eh, she was a resourceful little Twi'lek." he says defensively. Waxer slugs him on the shoulder.

"Aww come on Boil just admit you like the little tike! I know she adored you." Waxer says. I grin at Boil while the two begin to enter a small argument with each other. We continue to move onwards when I suddenly stop and raise my hand.

The men immediately tense up and stay quiet, readying their weapons.

"You sense something sir?" Waxer asks me quietly. I narrow my eyes and stretch out with the force into the surrounding area. I could sense life forms approaching, although who I could not tell yet.

"There are some life forms approaching, but I can't tell what." I inform the men. "Waxer, you take half of the group and flank around to the East. Boil and I will move around to the West in a circle. We'll see if we can box them in." I tell them, laying out my plan. Waxer nods.

"Yes sir. Come on boys lets move!" he says, waving half of the troops in his direction. They take off through the trees, their newer armor allowing their movements to be more silent and fluid than the clunky Phase 1 armor. I then lead our group in the other direction, having us swing in a wide arc to hopefully cut off whoever it is I'm sensing.

"Let's hope this goes well." I mutter under my breath.

"Yeah. But I'm ready for some action, especially since we're not a part of the main force right now." Boil replies in anticipation.

We continue through the dark forest, the clones tensing and looking around at anything that seems suspicious. I continue onward with narrowed eyes, a nagging feeling from the Force in my gut. I could sense that something bad was going to happen soon, but I didn't know what, and that worried me. The amount of weird plant life in the area was messing a little with my senses, so it made tracking the potential enemy group a little bit difficult, but I managed to push on.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire and explosions in the distance caught our attention, and we looked over in surprise at the sound. My wrist-com started to beep, and I quickly answered it.

"Waxer what's going on?" I ask in concern.

 _"We're under attack! The enemy is disguised as clones alright! We need immediate assistance!"_ Waxer says, the sound of blaser fire echoing through the transmission.

"Keep the enemy occupied as long as you can! We're on our way!" I order him, closing the transmission.

"Well you heard Waxer boys, let's help them out!" I tell the men, rushing in the direction of the sounds of battle. A chorus of 'yes sirs' and 'lets get em' rang out behind me and we ran towards the firefight. Once we got close enough, we saw the laser fire ring across the battlefield. The fact that all the blasts were blue made it hard to differentiate who was who, but we looked for the clones with our yellow markings and joined in on them. Boil and the rest of the men began to fire, and I was about to activate my lightsaber when I heard a voice.

"We're shooting at our own men! Take off your helmets! We're clones!"

I look over to see... Rex rushing forwards, taking off his helmet with his arms raised, a look of sheer terror on his face. My face contorts into one of horror and shock.

"What?!" I exclaim in terror and disbelief.

Slowly but surely everyone sees Rex running forward, and gape at him in disbelief and confusion. I activate my wrist-com and yell into it.

"Stop firing! Stop firing! It's our own men!" I yell, starting to feel horror and guilt sink in. Boil actually drops his blaster in shock as Rex tackles one of our men to the ground and holds him up for everyone to see.

"Look! We're clones! We're all clones!" he shouts.

I run forward into the middle of the battlefield and activate my lightsaber to get everyones attention.

"STOP FIRING! WE'RE SHOOTING AT OUR OWN PEOPLE!" I yell out, coming to a stop at Rex's side.

Sure enough, all of the men cease fire and slowly take off their helmets, each and every one of their faces showing horror at what they've done. I look around in disbelief and drop my lightsaber. It clatters to the ground and shuts off, and I kneel down, holding my head in horror. All of those men, killed for nothing... it's all my fault! If I could've sensed who they were through this kriffing jungle!

Rex releases the clone he was holding, who collapses in shock. He holds his head in his hands, utterly horrified at what happened just like the rest of us.

It was all my fault...

* * *

Not a moment after the revelation, we all set to work in caring for the wounded, and gathering up all of the dead soldiers who lost their lives in this battle. I help to carry every single trooper that was injured, be they 501st or 212th. Many times a few of the men asked me if I was alright, and I waved them off immediately, agitation clear on my face. Rex and Boil helped coordinate our efforts to care for the wounded alongside me, and attempted to ask me for any orders.

However, I was too full of shock, horror and guilt for what happened that I couldn't respond.

"Sir, I found the platoon leader! It's, Waxer. He's still alive." Kix says hesitantly. My head snaps up and me and Boil instantly head over to where Waxer lays, Rex and another trooper I have yet to meet following after us. Leaning against a branch in pain, his helmet still on was Waxer.

"Waxer!" Boil cries out in terror, rushing to his side. I kneel down on his other side as Boil takes off his helmet, revealing his pained face. I look over him urgently and check his life through the Force. It's... fading.

"Come on Waxer stay with me!" Boil pleads.

Rex kneels down beside us, a stone cold face put on, but I could sense that was only to keep the grief from breaking through.

"Waxer... sir," he addresses us. "Who gave you the orders to attack us?" he asks.

Waxer gasps in pain. "It... it was General Krell," he manages to say. Boil tries to get him to stay quiet but I manage to hold a hand on his shoulder. Tears begin to run down my eyes as I shake my head. Already I could sense it was too late.

Understanding, Boil watches Waxer with growing horror and realization.

"He sent us to these coordinates, to stop the enemy!" Waxer gasps out. "We thought they were wearing our armor... but... it was, you!" A tear slides down Waxers face as he speaks, and then his head falls forward limp. His presence in the Force disappears and I look down, a wave of emotions rushing through me. My first mission on Geonosis, I fought beside Waxer and Boil, rescuing Master Kenobi from the downed gunhip. Since then the three of us established a friendship during the many campaigns I served with he 212th, Obi-Wan's battalion, and now Waxer was gone forever. Just like Echo, but in a worse way.

"Waxer? Come on brother don't do this to me!" Boil pleads, shaking Waxer like his life depended on it. "WAXER!"

I look back up and stare straight ahead at nothing, my fists clenched in cold fury. The trees nearby begin to shake slightly in the Force from my anger, although I don't notice, and my eyes have a small speck of gold flickering through them. I can just barely hear Darth Revan laughing in the back of my mind, but I'm only focused on one thing.

Pong Krell was going to pay for this.

* * *

After taking care of whatever we could, Rex got all of the men, 212th and 501st lined up, and was beginning to give his speech. I stood with Rex in front of them.

"We all know who's responsible, for what happened out there." Rex tells them. "What we don't know, is why."

"That is something I intend to figure out." I say coldly. "General Krell ordered us to attack each other. So we're arresting him for high treason against the Republic." I tell the men. They all stare back, the same anger and determination in their hearts about General Krell.

"If any man chooses to opt out, do it now." Rex says.

Without hesitation everyone steps forward, and I let out a small smile. "If General Krell fights against us, I can't guarantee that all of us will survive." I warn them. "But if we want to avenge our comrades for their untimely deaths, then General Krell has to be removed from his position immediately."

The clones all stare back with narrowed eyes, some even scowling with hate on their faces. I'm so ready to give Krell a beating myself, even if I know I'll be outmatched.

* * *

I lead the men towards the airbase, with Rex and Boil on either side of me. They put their helmets on, and Boil is practically shaking with anger at Krell for the death of Waxer, his brother, and best friend.

I order the majority of the troops to surround the airbase outside in order to cut off any possible escape routes. Me, Rex and Boil then head inside to the detention level to release Fives and Jesse from their confinement. I was shocked to learn they were in the brig, but when he explained it to me, a scowl appeared on my face. I was furious at Krell. Fives, Jesse and Hardcase did a great service in destroying the supply ship, and he orders their execution just because they defied him to do it?!

Once we reach their cell, they look up in surprise.

"Commander Shan?" Fives asks. I open the door, and Rex and Boil hand them blasters, which they took with a little confusion.

"We're arresting General Krell, if you'd like to join the party." I tell them. They look at each other in interest.

"I know none of us like him, but what for?" Jesse asks in confusion.

"For tricking our men into killing each other." I respond coldly. Their eyes widen in disbelief and shock, which then quickly turns to rage as they nod in determination.

We exit the detention level and allow the two some time to retrieve their armor before heading up to the command center, where we were to confront the General. The door opens and the squad rushes into the suspiciously dark room, surrounding Krell who stands in the middle.

"General Krell, you're being relieved of duty." Rex states. He turns around and glares at us.

"It's treason then." he responds coldly.

I take my lightsaber off my belt, and the blade snaps to life with a harsh hiss, as if the saber could sense my anger a Krell and shared in it.

"Treason on your part Master Krell." I tell him with neutral expression that betrays what I'm really feeling. He stares at me with a judgmental eye.

"What do you think you are doing Padawan Shan?" he demands. I swing my saber threateningly as Rex pulls out his pistols.

"What should have been done to you a long time ago." I tell him. He raises a brow at me and steps forward.

"You're doing the wrong thing Padawan. You'll be expelled for this." he threatens. I glare at him.

"Oh really? How ironic coming from trash like you." I tell him harshly.

"Explain your actions!" Rex demands. Two troopers circle around behind him, weapons raised. He gives them a disinterested look, as if they aren't worth his time.

"My actions?" Krell asks with a sense of innocence.

"For ordering your troops against one another!" Rex exclaims. Krell turns around and begins to talk in amusement.

"Oh, that!" he says, treating it like a funny joke. "I'm surprised you were able to figure it out! For a clone." he sneers. "DId the Padawan have to tell you this?" he questions coldly.

"I told them nothing Krell. They figured it out on their own." I respond. "Or were you too stupid to figure out that they would figure it out on their own?" I ask with a smirk of amusement. He glowers at me as the clones move even closer.

"Surrender General. You're outnumbered!" Rex threatens.

Krell suddenly flings his arms out, catching us all by surprise. I get thrown into the wall hard, and lay there stunned and in pain for a moment as I try to get up. Krell activates his double blades lightsabers and I gulp nervously. That just wasn't fair.

"You dare to attack a Jedi?!" Krell roars. The clones open fire on him, but he just effortlessly blocks their attacks, spinning around without a care. He slices through a few troopers before I leap at him, my blue lightsaber blazing in fury.

Krell blocks my attack and swings at me with his other saberstaff, and I backpedal to avoid being hit. The clones move to Krell's backside in order to avoid shooting me, and I rush forwards again, swinging my lightsaber with quick precision. However his saberstaffs are too much defense for me to handle with one blade, especially as a Padawan, and he blocks them before quickly launching his own powerful strikes at me. I just barely dodge and evade his attacks before catching one of his sabers in a blade lock, while the other moves to deflect blaster fire. He then kicks me in the stomach, and I'm sent into the wall with a cry of silent, pain, the breathe being knocked out of me.

"I will not be undermined by an upstart Padawan, and some creatures bred in a laboratory!" he roars, crashing through the window to the ground below. Boil helps me to stand up as I hold my stomach, wheezing slightly.

"Are you alright sir?" he asks me in concern. I nod, reassuring him that I'm fine as we look out the window. All of our men have engaged Krell, but he swings through the troopers, cutting them down as he makes his escape.

"That's not fair!" I mutter angrily.

"Get down there as fast as possible Captain!" I tell Rex.

"What about you sir?" he asks me.

"I'm going for a flight!" I respond, running towards the open window and leaping off the edge. I fall towards the ground in a flip and use the Force to cushion my landing, rolling on impact before springing up and rushing after him. Krell uses the force to push the remaining troopers out of his way as he charges into the dense forest, deactivating his lightsabers. I rush into the forest after him, fueled by determination and anger.

* * *

To my great frustration, he's managed to hide in the thick trees from me, and whenever I hear a confrontation between him and a squad of clones, they always end up dead before I make it in time. It was infuriating. However...

"You should have listened to the ARC trooper from the beginning Captain!" Krell's voice booms through the forest to my right, followed by a sinister sounding laugh. I rush that way, determined to reach the group before Krell kills them all.

"He was right! I was using you!"

Despite Krell's words, I let off a small smirk. Oh Master Krell, you should have stayed quiet. I see a small group of troopers move into a circle in a small clearing, and sense Krell's intention. Just as he leaps downwards to stab them, I jump through the air and manage to surprise him enough to tackle him to the ground. He roll across the dirt for a few moments before he throws me off of him. I hit a tree painfully, and the clones open fire.

He laughs in sick delight and starts to cut through the troopers mercilessly. I get back up and ignite my lightsaber, charging for him. With a cry, I bring it down on one of his, and he retaliates with aggressive and powerful strikes. With agility surprising even myself, I duck and weave away from them or block all of his attacks, attempting to lash out with my own. However Krell is much more powerful without a doubt, and one of his free hands comes out of nowhere and slams into my chest. I fall back with a cry of agony. That's gonna leave a mark for sure. He kicks me away before turning his full attention to the clones.

I lay there, gasping in pain and unable to move quickly enough. Luckily, Boil is in the area and notices me, helping to support me back over to Captain Rex and Kix, who are firing at Krell like crazy. He leans me behind a tree, and Kix stops firing to attend to me, with Boil taking his place to shoot at Krell.

I grimace in pain.

"Not good Commander. He got you pretty hard, bruised your ribs. Maybe even cracked one." Kix tells me worriedly. I manage a small chuckle.

"Well that's some crap." I tell him.

"Can you move Commander?" Captain Rex asks me. I nod my head.

"I think so. But I don't think I'll be able to help anymore." I tell him angrily.

"That's alright sir. Tup's got a plan!" he tells me before activating his comlink. "Listen up troopers. Lure him towards Tup!"

Everyone immediately goes along with the plan, since blasting at Krell isn't doing anything, and nobody has a better idea. Kix helps me move quickly along with the other troopers, and Krell follows after us, determined to kill every single trooper.

A few stray shots get Krell's attention and I look over to see Tup standing in the middle of a field. What is he doing?!

"Hey ugly! Come and get me!" Tup taunts him.

Krell runs straight for Tup, and I then notice the vines scattering the ground. Or not really vines...

As Krell is about to stab Tup, a tentacle reachs up and grabs Krell, making him yell out in surprise. The creature comes to life with a roar, and Krell flails around wildly while the men try to shoot him down. Even then, he still puts up a heck of a fight, and manages to slice a clone to bits before finally cutting the tentacle holding him up.

He hits the ground hard, and rubs his head as Tup rushes forwards. Tup shoots the creature to death, and then turns his weapon to stun. Krell turns to look at him and gets a face full of a stun blast, and he collapses with a cry. The men move forward to check up on Krell's body.

"I stunned him sir!" Tup says proudly. Rex kicks him over and looks at him. "Nice work Tup," he says proudly.

I manage to grin as Kix supports me over to them. "So much for not being undermined by lab creatures." I remark.

"What a pushover," Fives says, scoffing in disgust. The troopers then cuff both of his arms and I take his lightsabers, slicing them apart for good measure so that he has no weapon.

* * *

After returning back to the airbase, Kix insisted that I spend some time in a bacta tank to heal. I protested immediately, but the rest of the men agreed, and pretty much overruled me to get me in some bacta.

Later in the night when I was finally released from the healing session, I was greeted my Rex, Fives, Jesse and Boil.

"Something on your mind guys?" I ask them, putting my cowl back on.

"Yes sir." Rex says. "While you were in the tank, we interrogated General Krell. He revealed his plans of hoping to become an agent of Dooku."

I frown angrily at that information. "So he's a Dark Jedi then."

"There's also a risk that he may escape. General Kenobi managed to capture the capital, but the remaining Umbaran's are headed here. If he escapes, then he could reveal all of our intel." Fives tells me. I nod in agreement.

"So what's your plan?" I ask them.

They look at each other hesitantly before responding. "We've... decided that the best course of action, is to execute him sir." Boil answers.

I'm silent and look away, thinking about what Master Kenobi would do in this situation. Execution still seems like a harsh method for me, but the clones do have a point. If Krell manages to escape confinement when the Umbaran's arrive, then he'll reveal all of our secrets to the Separatists, compromising the GAR as a whole. I let out a sigh.

"I can't think of any other alternative." I admit. "Very well. You may proceed Captain."

Rex gives me a salute. "Yes sir!"

* * *

When we return the the brig, Fives releases Dogma from his cell, and Rex pulls out a pistol. I watch from behind, not feeling comfortable with being the one to perform the deed, so Rex volunteered to do it.

"Turn around. Step toward the wall." Rex orders him.

Krell rolls his eyes but does as he says.

"On your knees!" Rex demands. Jesse opens the cell and Rex steps forward, pistol raised.

Krell merely laughs. "You're in a position of power now. How does it feel?" Krell asks him with a smirk. Rex responds by aiming his blaster at Krell's back.

"I said, on, your knees!" Rex orders him harshly. Krell's complies, but continues to taunt him in the process, making me glare at him angrily.

"It feel's good, doesn't it. But I can sense your fear." Krell's states. I look at Rex in concern and sense the same things that Krell senses. I can sense that he is afraid, of whether or not he's doing the right thing by executing a Jedi, even a traitor like Krell. They were engineered by the Kaminoans to follow the orders of the Jedi.

"You're shaking, aren't you." Krell says in delight. "What are you waiting for? The Umbaran's are getting closer!"

"I have to do this!" Rex says firmly, although he's trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"You can't do it, can you?" Krell asks rhetorically. Rex hesitates, his arm visibly shaking with the pistol in it. Krell lets out a satisfied sigh.

"Eventually you'll have to do the right thing and-" Krell is cut off midsentence with a cry as a blue shot pierces through his back. He slumps forward against the wall, dead and we look in the direction of the shot. To our surprise, Dogma is standing there with Fives' pistol in hand, and he's breathing heavily.

"I, I had to!" he exclaims. "He betrayed us!"

I look back at Krell's body, unsure of what to think. Whether I like it or not, I technically participated in the execution of a Jedi by allowing it to happen, even though he betrayed the Republic. I had no idea how Master Kenobi and the Council were going to react to this.

When I was first chosen to be a Padawan alongside Master Kenobi, I was so excited and ready for adventure. But now... I've lost a lot of the enthusiasm I once held. Jedi are dying left and right whether we admit it or not, and the galaxy becomes a darker place every moment the war draws on.


	29. Chapter 28 - Overcoming Guilt

Since the Invasion of Umbara, I was a lot more quiet and reserved when we headed back to Coruscant with the fleet. Anakin managed to finally return to his battalion, although it was unfortunately after the fighting was finished. When he learned of what happened with Master Krell, he was absolutely furious and guilt-ridden. Rex assured him that it wasn't his fault, but Anakin still couldn't help the feelings he had.

As for me, Boil and I have been staying closer to each other to share our sorrow for the loss of Waxer. Eventually he had to return to his brother's and Master Kenobi and I took a ship back to the Jedi Temple. He noticed how I had changed but opted not to say anything until after we got back, having heard the report of what happened.

* * *

Once we arrived at the Temple, Master Kenobi and I headed back to our quarters, where he sat me down in one of the chairs and sat in another chair.

"How are you feeling?" he asks me.

I offer a shrug in return. "Alright, I guess."

Master Kenobi raises a hand to his beard thoughtfully. "You haven't spoken much since the airbase incident. Would you like to talk about it?" he asks me.

I let out a small sigh. "What's there to talk about? Krell turned traitor on us and got clones killed. Then he was executed, as you know already." I told him.

"And resulted in the death of Waxer." Master Kenobi says. I flinch slightly at the memory and Master Kenobi eyes me with a frown.

"I know what Krell did was hard on you Jarik, but you have to understand that it wasn't your fault. He fooled us all." Master Kenobi tells me.

I cross my arms and look away guiltily. "But I was there! I should have been able to sense that it was the 501st, not Umbaran's disguised as clones! I gave Waxer the order to attack if necessary!" I protested in agitation. He leans forward and lays a hand on my shoulder.

"I would have given the same order my young apprentice." he tells me.

"But you would have been able to sense they were clones," I say bitterly. "I've never been the best with my Force abilities, which is why it was my fault!"

Master Kenobi sighs sadly. "Sometimes these things happen in war Jarik. Even Master Yoda can't predict everything that will happen," he tells me. "The best we can do is learn from our mistakes, and to be better next time."

I take in his advice but don't say anything. I'm still upset by what happened. Master Kenobi then gets up from his seat and heads to the door, about to leave.

"I'll give you tomorrow off to recover from this Jarik. But what happened wasn't your fault. Nobody wants you to think it is." Master Kenobi says, leaving the room.

* * *

The next morning I was sitting on my bed, looking up different things on the holonet in boredom. Master Kenobi was in another Council meeting, so I had the room to myself, although I didn't feel like doing much. The whole night, Darth Revan kept taunting me about how it was my fault that the clones died before we figured out the horrible truth. Revan eventually came along and got rid of him when I was ready to lash out, and managed to calm me down slightly. However I still felt like crap.

The door then opened to my room, and Ahsoka walked in.

"Hey Jarik!" she says cheerily.

"Hey Soka," I respond. She frowns slightly, and walks up to me.

"Me and Barriss were gonna head down to the Gardens in a few minutes. Wanna come?" she asks me.

I plaster a smile and turn to look at her. "No, I'm alright Sweetie Horns, thanks for asking. I've got some stuff to do though." I tell her.

She frowns at me, and sits down next to me on the bed. "Alright, spill." she demands.

"Spill what?" I ask her.

"Somethings bothering you little Jari. Out with it." she says sternly. I shrug casually.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I feel fine," I defend myself, getting a little nervous. She sighs at me in exasperation.

"Jarik, we've known each other since we were toddlers. I can tell somethings bothering you, so spill it." she tells me. I look away, hesitant to answer. She continues to stare at me in determination, and I know for a fact that she won't leave, or let me leave until I've spoken.

"Fine." I tell her. "I just feel guilty, and helpless." I admit.

She raises an eye marking at me. "You are definitely not helpless Jarik." she says.

I shake my head. "Not in that way. You heard about Master Krell right?" I asked her.

She nodded. "All I know is that he turned out to be a traitor."

I nod my head. "Yeah and he... he tricked us into killing each other." I tell her.

She looks at me in surprise. "What do you mean? How could he trick you and the clones into killing each other?" she asks in disbelief.

"Basically he told us... that the group we were fighting were Umbaran's that had disguised themselves as clones. He told both sides that." I admit sadly. She looks at me sympathetically.

"That... that must be tough." she tells me before frowning. "But it wasn't your fault he did that. Why would you feel guilty?"

I look away in shame. "Because I wasn't strong enough to sense it," I tell her bitterly.

"Sense it?" she asks.

"I could tell that Rex's group was advancing towards us, but I couldn't make out if they were Umbaran's or clones!" I exclaim. "If I was better, then I could've warned them that it was us!"

"That doesn't make it your fault." Ahsoka says in protest. I shake my head at her, standing up and pacing around the room.

"BUt it is my fault! I should've sensed it coming, I know I could have! I gave the order for my platoon to attack if necessary and know," I say, my voice breaking a little bit. "Now Waxer is dead! So many of them died for absolutely no reason, other than the fact I couldn't sense it in time!"

Ahsoka looks at me with a mixture of worry, sadness and regret shining on her face as I continue to pace around, my eyes starting to water up at the guilt I was feeling. It was all my fault.

She suddenly stands up and stops my pacing, pulling me into a comforting hug. She sends comforting feelings to me of reassurance across the bond, trying to get me feel that I wasn't at fault. I latch onto her tightly, feeling more vulnerable than I have ever felt before in my life. I was a Jedi! I was supposed to be better than this...

"It's alright Jarik," she says soothingly. "It's alright..."

I close my eyes tightly as we continue to hug each other, and she sends me feelings of reassurance as she rubs my back comfortingly. "What if it isn't..." I start to say.

"Don't say that." she says firmly, breaking off from the hug to look me in the eyes.

"You're Jarik Shan, my best friend. I know better than anyone else what a strong person you are! It wasn't your fault alright?" she tells me. "Sometimes these things happen out of our control. There's no way you could've expected Krell to do such a thing." she says firmly. I look at her for a few moments, not sure what to think when I let off a small sigh.

"When did you become so wise..." I mutter.

She let's off a small laugh and lightly slugs me in the shoulder. "There's the Jarik I remember." she says with a smile.

I give off a shrug.

"Did Master Obi-Wan talk to you about this?" she asks me hesitantly. I nod.

"Yeah he did, said most of the same things you did." I admit. "I'm glad he thinks the same way but, in the end my wonderful teacher can't exactly compare to my best friend giving the same speech." I tell her. She rolls her eyes.

"You should listen to more of what he says better." she lightly scolds me as we head for the door. I manage to throw her a grin.

"Like how you listen to Master Skywalker? Or how he listens to the Council?" I tease her. She sighs in exasperation.

"Alright, I've made my point, you've made yours," she admits.

Feeling a lot better, we meet up with Barriss and head down to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, where we took some times to relax and just be friends, a luxury we don't get often during this time of war.


	30. Chapter 29 - Kidnapped

Master Yoda had a new mission for us. Apparently he was contacted by the governor of the peaceful Togruta colony of Kiros, and they were being invaded by Count Dooku's droid armies. So we were now exiting out of hyperspace in a Star Destroyer, ready to provide aid and defense for the Togrutan's against the Separatists. Ahsoka was a nervous bundle of nerves, and I understood why. These were her people after all.

Gunships took us down into the village, depositing a tank and speeder bikes. Me and Master Kenobi were on our own combined speeder, and Ahsoka and Anakin were on another. Ahsoka and I were wearing goggles while sitting in the passenger side of the speeder bikes, which so lovingly gave us a little turret to fire from. A team of scout walkers were released, and we took off.

As we sped through the village, we start to take notice in concern how there wasn't anybody in the streets, buildings, anywhere. It seemed like it was abandoned.

"Anybody else think it's too quiet?" Ahsoka asks in concern. "I haven't seen any colonists."

"They're probably hiding." Anakin theorizes. Master Kenobi pulls us up alongside them, and my cowl continues to flap in the wind, along with my Padawan Braid.

"Let's hope they stay hidden! It makes our job easier if we don't have to worry about them in battle," he says.

"From what I know they've never been afraid to use citizens as living shields against us Master." I say. "Do you think that's the case?"

"I'm sure they're here somewhere." Anakin says reassuringly. "Let's make for the city center!"

Rex and Cody pull up alongside us on their own speeder bike with Cody piloting, and we push onwards. However as we move down the long street, a squad of commando droids pull up in front of us and raise blasters in hand.

"Biker droids, dead ahead." Ahsoka says, taking off her goggles.

"Squad, tighten up! Form on me!" Anakin says. They do so, moving closer together behind the four of us, and the droids begin their assault, coming after us. The droids raise their blasters and start firing, and I return it with my wonderful minigun, taking out a biker droid. Unfortunately, one of our guys was hit by a blaster shot, and his speeder goes crashing to the side. Another clone moves forward, firing the blasters on his speeder, taking out another droid.

Ahsoka then stands up, balancing on the seat and activates her lightsabers, deflecting shots that were aimed in her direction. Once we got close enough, Anakin activated his own lightsaber and slashed at a droid that passed by us. He hits the front engine and the speeder crashes violently into the ground. I take off my goggles and activate my own saber, slicing the head off of a passing droid.

However, once they pass by us, the droids turn around and begin to fire at us from behind. One smashes his speeder into a troopers bike, causing him to tumble to the ground. I use my lightsaber to deflect stray blaster bolts before turning the gun around backwards, and Ahsoka does the same.

We fire at the commando droids, taking a good deal of them out and being careful not to hit our own troops. When only one droid is left, Ahsoka leaps off of her chair and onto the droids bike, decapitating it before jumping back into her own. We scan the area for any stragglers and Ahsoka nods to Anakin.

"We're all clear Master," she says.

We continue on towards the city center, and see two AAT's and a platoon of droids at the end of the street. All of us begin firing every single gun we have on our three combined speeders at once, and a wave of blue bolts rain down on the battle droids, destroying many of them.

One of the tanks begins to aim at us, and Rex pulls out a rocket launcher, being the passenger on Cody's bike. I grin in amusement at the sight. For some reason it just seems funny to me as a massive tank aims at us, while Rex casually brings out a bazooka like it's no big deal.

Before the tank can do anything, Rex fires and annihilates the AAT, destroying the droids surrounding it as well. After that, Ahsoka grabs two thermal detonators and leaps from her bike, landing on top of the tank. She tosses the bombs into the hatch on top and then jumps back onto the bike. We all turn back and watch as the tank explodes in a fiery blast. Ahsoka smiles at her work and I give a nod.

"Smooth." I comment.

"I do my best," she replies.

Cody and Rex pull up next to us. "Cody, Rex. Have your men secure the area." Master Kenobi tells them.

* * *

Only a few minutes later, we have the governors tower completely surrounded, and a temporary base camp is set up with several AT-TE's, and the clones set to work on fixing their damaged speeders or securing the perimeter.

Me and Ahsoka are kneeling by a transmitter in an attempt to prepare it for use, while Boil walks up to us and Master Kenobi on a scout walker.

"How're we doing Boil?" Master Kenobi asks.

"We're still mopping up clankers here and there sir. We've established a perimeter around the governor's tower. No one gets out without a fight." Boil reports.

"Good work," Master Kenobi says, heading over to Cody. I look over and give Boil a small smile and he nods back before heading out for another patrol with his squad.

"Cody. Any word from the Separatist commander?" Master Kenobi asks.

"He's barricaded inside. His name is Darts D'Nar. He's sent you a message sir," he says, pulling out a small communicator. He activates it, showing a hologram of D'Nar.

 _"Master Kenobi, come to the tower. We will negotiate terms for surrender."_ he says. I throw Ahsoka a smirk.

 _"What a wimp."_ I remark. Ahsoka snickers in amusement.

"Well that was easy." Master Kenobi says with a grin.

To our surprise however, the communicator is suddenly pulled out of Cody's hand by Anakin, who then crushes it with his metal hand. Boy does he look pissed, but what reason, I'm not sure.

"Zygerrian scum! I'll handle that slaver!" Anakin practically snarls and spits out the words like they're a disease. Me and Ahsoka look up in surprise, having never really heard Anakin speak that way before. At least from what I remember. We throw each other concerned looks, while R2 rolls up, releasing a long beep of worry. R5 moves behind R2, and gives off an uncomfortable shake.

Apparently Obi-Wan knew something about this, as he walks up to Anakin immediately.

"Anakin, he asked for me! I need you to locate the missing Togruat colonists." Obi-Wan tells him. Anakin scowls angrily but lets out a sigh.

"Fine. I'll have Admiral Yularen initiate a planetary bio scan," he says sharply, walking away with R2. Obi-Wan looks at him sympathetically, and with a little bit of pity.

Me and Ahsoka get up from the transmitter, and walk over to Master Kenobi in concern.

"Why is he so upset?" Ahsoka asks.

"Never seen him like that before," I say in agreement.

"Anakin has never told you about his past hasn't he?" Master Kenobi asks us.

"Only to tell me he won't talk about it," Ahsoka admits.

"As a child, Anakin and his mother were sold into slavery by the Hutt clans." Master Kenobi tells us with a concerned look. I widen my eyes in surprise and look over at Anakin with sympathy.

"Oh..." Ahsoka says slowly, realizing the problem.

"No wonder he's pissed off," I remark.

Ahsoka and Master Kenobi give me a look and I look back innocently, holding my hands up in surrender. "Sorry. Bad language," I say quickly in apology.

"And these Zygerrians, they're slavers?" Ahsoka asks hesitantly.

Master Kenobi nods in affirmative. "Anakin has struggled to put his past behind him," he tells us.

Ahsoka sighs. "don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him," she says reassuringly. We all look over to Anakin in concern, who is talking with Admiral Yularen, but you can tell by his body language that he's upset.

"Yes. Make sure you do," Master Kenobi says, heading to the tower. "Come along then Jarik," he tells me.

I rush after him while Ahsoka heads through another part of the camp.

"So we're negotiating terms for surrender with a slaver?" I ask.

"Yes we are. I thought it would be a good experience for you to watch how a proper Jedi negotiates with their enemies." he tells me.

"Because the great and famed Negotiator always has a strategy." I remark.

"Of course I do Jarik," he says as we enter the elevator.

* * *

When we were close to the top of the tower, we both heard D'Nar's confident sounding voice speaking to someone.

"I've got them right where I want them," he says.

We both pop up out of the elevator with a grin on either of our faces. "Do tell," Master Kenobi says.

Two commando droids aim their blasters at us, and we both raise our hands placatingly in mock surrender. D'Nar is seated at the governor's desk, his feet raised onto the table as if he owns the place. Well I guess he does at the moment. On the table is a hologram of Count Dooku himself ad another Zygerrian. The whole room is littered with cages containing all sorts of exotic creatures.

 _"Gentlemen. Meet Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight. And his young apprentice Jarik Shan, the 'Slicer.'"_ Count Dooku says, referring to my holonet nickname.

"Glad to know I have a reputation then," I remark casually.

The Zygerrian on the hologram snarls hatefully at us, and they both turn back to speak to D'Nar.

 _"D'Nar, bring them to me. On, their, knees!"_ Dooku says menacingly. Such a pleasant fellow, my fellow Makashi duelist.

"With pleasure." D'Nar says, ending the transmission.

"We were going to discuss surrender?" Master Kenobi asks, as we walk forwards with our hands raised placatingly. The droids continue to aim their blasters at us.

"Yes. You will surrender." D'Nar says confidently. I almost laugh. Who does this guy think he is?

"Because you so have us pinned down," I say in amusement.

"We obviously have a misunderstanding my friend," Master Kenobi says, giving me a glance. I nod and we lower our arms behind our backs, where I secretly hit the button on my wrist-com to Anakin, so that they can listen in on the ground to our conversation.

"No, you are wrong Jedi." D'Nar says.

"Are we?" Master Kenobi says with a raised brow.

"You do realize that all of your droids are gone, and we have tanks aimed at this very right now?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Do the honorable thing and give up now. I promise you will receive fair treatment." Master Kenobi says.

D'Nar only continues to stroke his bird, leaning back in the chair without a care in the world. "You've broken through my defenses, and you think you've won?" Think again!" he tells us. "I have planted bombs all over the city. No one will survive. Now, surrender."

I widen my eyes in alarm and glance at Master Kenobi, who narrows his suspiciously but continues on, trying to call his bluff.

"If you're not bluffing, then we must concede. But you'll have to make considerations," Master Kenobi says, negotiating an offer. "First, you release the colonists."

"Here is my counter offer." D'Nar says, waving his hand. The tactical droid beside him lifts up a detonator and presses the button. Immediately, the building shakes as an explosion goes off somewhere on the ground. We look at each other in alarm and rush to the window.

 _"Ahsoka, what's going on?!"_ I ask worriedly.

 _"One of our tanks just exploded!"_ she replies in surprise.

We look out the window and see the fire and smoke surrounding the temporary camp we had set up. We look back angrily as D'Nar continues to speak.

"There were no colonists in that destruction, but there could have been." D'Nar says threateningly. He then levels us with a glare. "Now, bow down and surrender to me! Jedi filth!" he demands, slamming his hand on his desk.

We look at each other with worry, but see no other alternative, so we step forwards and place our lightsabers on the desk, raising our arms for real this time.

"Fine, you win. We surrender." I tell him.

D'Nar smirks at us in smug victory before standing up.

"Long before this war, your Jedi destroyed the great Zygerrian slave empire." D'Nar says. I roll my eyes in exasperation. Here comes another bad guy monologue.

"I would kill you now, but Dooku would prefer you alive!" D'Nar states viciously, stroking his convor again.

"I, understand your frustration. It is unfortunate that you and I cannot resolve our differences in the Zygerrian tradition." Master Kenobi says. I look at him in surprise, not expecting Obi-Wan to be so willing to enter a fist fight with a Zygerrian. I knew he could take it, but it was still insane. D'Nar apparently feels the same surprise, as he releases the convor before laughing at him mockingly.

"With no weapons, you would fight me?!" D'Nar demands, getting in his face. Master Kenobi glances back at me and I get the message, backing up away from them so Obi-Wan could continue, "stalling."

"For good reason." Obi-Wan responds with a frown. "Say, if I win, you reveal the location of the colonists, and the bombs," he says.

D'Nar looks at Obi-Wan with a vicious smirk. "And if I win, I deliver you and your brat to Dooku in a cage! Like one of these filthy creatures!" he exclaims, waving at all the animals that are shrieking in their confinement.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan says with a smirk.

The two stare each other down before D'Nar suddenly grabs Obi-Wan by the tunic and lifts him up, smashing his face with his own. Obi-Wan grunts in pain before D'Nar throws him to the ground. I cringe as D'Nar then slams him against the ground, before throwing Obi-Wan with one hand into a nearby stature, cracking it to multiple peaces. That would surely leave a mark.

"Careful. You're disturbing my pets! They fetch a high price!" D'Nar exclaims mockingly. Obi-Wan slowly looks up at him in stunned disbelief, and I can't help but worry for my Master.

* * *

Ok! So, for the last few minutes, Obi-Wan has been getting his butt kicked, like really bad. I know he's actually stalling for Anakin and Ahsoka to disable the bombs, but this was ridiculous. No wonder they call him the Negotiator. He'll go through any challenge that involves the subject of negotiating or coming to an agreed compromise.

He dodged a cage thrown at him by D'Nar, who then moves forwards, moving another cage out of the way. Obi-Wan delivers a fierce punch to D'Nar, whose head is smacked backwards before he turns forward, smirking in dark amusement. Obi-Wan throws another punch, but D'Nar catches his fist turning his arm painfully and kneeing him in the stomach.

D'Nar then grabs Obi-Wan's face and holds him up painfully. I'm itching to jump in and help, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is all part of Obi-Wan's master plan.

"For thousands of years Zygerria supplied slavery to the galaxy!" he exclaims angrily, throwing him forwards.

Obi-Wan lands on all fours as D'Nar walks forwards. "We prospered," he says, delivering a punch to the face. Obi-Wan yelps in pain.

"Our customers prospered!" D'Nar says again, delivering another punch that knocks him back. Obi-Wan grunts in pain. I watch the exchange with wide eyes, while the commando droids keep their blasters raised at me.

"Then the Jedi came!" D'Nar exclaims angrily, delivering a fierce uppercut. Obi-Wan soars through the air much to my disbelief and shock, and lands on the desk painfully. D'Nar then strides forward and slams Obi-Wan's head down with his hand on his neck in a chokehold. Obi-Wan start's to gasp in pai for air, and I move to intervene worriedly, but one of the droids hits me in the head with his blaster, and I flinch in pain. I glare back at the droid, but they only raise their blasters to my face and I let out an aggravated sigh of frustration.

The transmitter on the desk suddenly lights up, and a battle droid appears, getting D'Nar's attention.

 _"Uh excuse me sir. We have a problem."_ the droid says. I widen my eyes in alarm, and Obi-Wan does as well.

"What problem?!" D'Nar demands angrily.

 _"Our spotters are tracking two enemy walkers-"_

Whatever the droid was trying to say, it didn't get the chance as Obi-Wan punched D'Nar in the face hard, then smashes his head onto the table, breaking the transmitter in a shower of sparks. I let off a small laugh of amusement at the sight. Yep, Obi-Wan is definitely stalling if he can do that while in a chokehold.

D'Nar gets back up and growls furiously at Obi-Wan, his eyes wild in anger.

That doesn't look good.

* * *

Obi-Wan is thrown across the room by D'Nar, and slides across the ground.

"Come on Anakin, hurry up!" he exclaims, more annoyed than in pain.

"You need any help Master? Or are you just going to go and get beat up again?" I ask him.

He glares over at me in exasperation and I roll my eyes as Obi-Wan charges back at D'Nar, throwing a fist for his head, but is blocked on both of his attempts in a punch. D'Nar then grabs Obi-Wan and starts pounding on his face before delivering a swift punch to his stomach, which leaves in on the ground coughing, the air being knocked out of him.

* * *

D'Nar kicks Ob-Wan across the ground, and then walks forwards, lifting him above his head with both hands. D'Nar snarls angrily before throwing Obi-Wan onto the hard floor, actually managing to crack and shatter the glass on impact. Obi-Wan looks up at him with D'Nar snarls in victory, but I stifle a laugh when I notice how Obi-Wan is more looking at him, thinking along the lines of: "what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-this-guy" than actual fear.

D'Nar drags Obi-Wan across the floor by his feet before throwing him forwards, and lifting him up by the neck with one arm. Obi-Wan grimaces painfully, and D'Nar looks at him in delight.

"Now I take revenge for my people, Jedi!" he says.

"Sir, you have an urgent transmission," the tactical droid says, pulling out a communicator, where the battle droid reappears again.

 _"Sorry to interrupt sir, but you weren't responding."_ the droid says.

"What is it?" D'Nar demands angrily, annoyed at being interrupted again. Obi-Wan looks at the hologram worriedly, and I tense up in preparation for an actual fight this time.

The droid rubs his head nervously. _"Umm, the Jedi have disarmed your bombs."_ it tells us.

D'Nar's face falls in confusion and anger, and he tosses Obi-Wan to the ground.

"What?" he exclaims as the droid ends the transmission. "Give me that detonator!" he says, rushing to the window.

He starts pressing it quickly, but nothing happens, and Master Kenobi gets up, brushing his shoulder and giving me a look. I nod in understanding and pull both of our lightsabers into my hand behind my back without the droids noticing. I then activate them both and stab the commando droids, then deactivate them and throw Master Kenobi his lightsaber.

"Well, shall we discuss your surrender?" Master Kenobi asks with a smirk.

D'Nar turns around to face us angrily as we reactivate our lightsabers threateningly.

"Again if you please?" I ask, making an innocent face.

"I still have one bomb left Jedi!" D'Nar says, shoving his tactical droid and pressing a few buttons on its back.

"Sir, how could you?" the droid asks in its own version of horror. He then throws the droid at obi-Wan, so I move forwards to stop D'Nar, but he activates a lightwhip on his belt and slashes t me while moving towards the elevator, forcing me to block the whip while moving away.

Obi-Wan shoves the droid off of him while the convor flies towards D'Nar, who grabs it before exiting through the elevator shaft. I inwardly curse at my inability to stop D'Nar while the droid continues to flail around.

"Get it off! Get if off!" it yells fearfully, scrabbling at its back. Master Kenobi uses the force to shove it out the window, and it cries out in alarm before exploding.

"Anakin, Anakin come in! D'Nar is making his escape from the tower!" Master Kenobi says as we rush towards the elevator.

 _"On our way,"_ he replies angrily.

Once the elevator stops at the surface level, me and Master Kenobi run towards the landing platform where D'Nar's ship is parked, with our lightsabers activated. Unfortunately, we're too far away and the ship begins to take off as we get closer, so we deactivate our lightsabers in frustration.

Fortunately, Anakin and Ahsoka then show up, running towards the edge of the platform on their scout walkers as fast as they can. They leap off of the platform as far as the walkers would allow, and then use the walkers as launch pads to jump up to the ship, while the walkers crash to the ground below.

"Well, now we play the waiting game." I remark, placing my lightsaber back on my belt and crossing my arms.

"Yes, I suppose we do." Master Kenobi says.

We stand there in silence for a few moments before I smirk at him in amusement.

"You look like crap Master." I say teasingly.

He sighs in exasperation.

* * *

Once D'Nar has been captured, we contacted the Council alongside Admiral Yularen, to discuss what was to happen next.

 _General Skywalker, ran the bio scan twice, and the results were negative."_ Yularen says.

"Are you saying the colonists are not in the city?" Anakin asks in disbelief.

 _"I'm saying they're not even on the planet! The entire population appears to have simply, vanished!"_ he tells us. We all look at each other in concern.

"Vanished?" Ahsoka says fearfully. "That's impossible. Those are my people!" she says with concern. I put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly and send her feelings of reassurance across the bond, although I'm careful not to show too much in front of the Council.

 _"Troubling, is the return of the Zygerrians."_ Master Yoda says with concern.

 _"It is likely they mean to use Dooku to rebuilt their slaver empire."_ Master Plo says.

"We cannot, allow that Master." Anakin says firmly.

 _"Agree I do. But first, find the colonists you must."_ Master Yoda tells us. _"In great danger they are."_

 _"What is it Master?"_ Master Plo asks him.

 _"Sense I do, a darker hand in this mystery. Slavery, a great tool it is, for the rise of the Sith."_ he says gravely. We all look at each other in concern from this troubling revelation, unsure of what our next move will be.


	31. Chapter 30 - Slaves of the Republic

With the return of the Zygerrian slave empire, and the disappearance of the Togrutan colonists of Kiros, our next mission was to infiltrate Zygerria and discover their location. We were using D'Nar's cargo shuttle as our ship to enter the system without drawing attention. Once we exited hyperspace, we immediately took notice of the massive amount of ships heading into and out of Zygerria, no doubt for slaves.

"Looks like Zygerria's a popular place these days." Anakin remarks. He, Rex and Master Kenobi were all dressed up in Zygerrian armor to seem more like the typical slave owners. I had on a black cloak that covered me, with steel gauntlets and gloves, as well as boots on. My cowl was pulled over my face, and my Padawan braid was tucked out of sight. Basically I was going to be playing the role of Ahsoka's "handler," while Anakin was her slave owner. Seeing as how I was still to young to successfully pull off pretending to be a slaver, and I would probably be killed instead of accepted as a slave, it was agreed that I would act as the handler for Ahsoka for whenever she got out of line.

"Hmm. Whatever is happening here is certainly attracting plenty of high class, scum/" Master Kenobi comments with a grin.

"I'll bet they're chumps," I remark.

* * *

Once we landed the ship, Ahsoka got herself dressed into her outfit and concealing herself in a large black cloak that only let her eyes show out from underneath it. Although she was very reluctant about it.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she mutters irritably. "This outfit is awful!"

"Well, if it comforts you, I'll be the one taking care of you," I tell her with a smirk. She glares at me half-heartedly.

"Ha ha," she deadpans.

R5 comes up to the two of us and beeps. In response I give him my lightsaber, and Ahsoka hands him hers, which he then pockets into his dome. I then pull my mask down to conceal my face and pull up my cowl's hood, covering it.

We exit the ship into the sunlight, and Ahsoka continues to look herself over uncomfortably.

"Remind me why I'm playing the part of the slave?" she asks, her voice slightly muffled by the cloak.

"I tried it once. Wasn't any good at it." Anakin response. "Besides, the role of master comes easily to me!" he says proudly, crossing his arms. I roll my eyes underneath the mask.

"Really? Well this time try to be convincing at it." Ahsoka says with a small glare.

"Besides that, it also gives Jarik the perfect excuse to sneak into their palace and undercover information he could find from the computers." Master Kenobi says.

"You mean, WILL find." I respond, my voice a little distorted through the mask.

We then start our trek into the city walls, coming across a harsh environment. The palace gleams lightly in the distance, betraying its cruel symbol of oppression. Two small critters seem engaged in a sword fight, while the streets were lined with people, mostly scum and the poor. Probe droids fly around the city, their beady red optics searching through everything. Ahsoka scoffs in disgust.

"How can such a civilization this advanced, practice slavery?" she asks.

"It makes them wealthy and powerful at the expense of others. Before the Hutts bought my mother, she was sold in a market, just like this." Anakin says angrily, and we spare him glances of sympathy. We continue to walk down the street when a male Twi'lek suddenly falls to the ground a few feet in front of us. The Zygerrian from the hologram as I remember, then walks forwards and glares at him angrily. Uh oh.

"Get up! You useless skug!" he demands angrily.

The Twi'lek looks up at him fearfully. "Master, the bonds are too heavy!" he protests weakly.

"Tell it to my whip!" The Zygerrian exclaims, pulling out a lightwhip. He swings it around, making the slaves around him flinch fearfully.

Just as he's about to swing the whip, Ahsoka dashes forwards and catches his arm, glaring at him.

"You don't wanna do that!" she tells him.

He deactivates his whip and rips his arm out of her grip, snarling at her. "You dare touch me?!" he demands.

Sensing danger, Anakin strides forward and brushes Ahsoka to the side near me, and I play the part by grabbing her arm forcefully.

"Excuse my slave, friend." Anakin says politely.

 _"Wish you could've done more,"_ I tell Ahsoka.

 _"I don't like that guy,"_ she says in agreement.

"She is freshly caught!" Anakin says, gesturing to Ahsoka as we continued to stand there. A couple of guards rush up to us while a probe droid watches, and the Zygerrian regards us with a frown.

"What have we here?" he asks. "You wear Zygerrian armor, but you're not one of us," he says in distain. "Who are you?"

"I've come for an audience with the Queen." Anakin replies.

"Then you have an invitation? We can't just let anyone in the speak with her Majesty," he says suspiciously.

"No invitation, but I do bring news. News the Queen will be eager to hear." Anakin says confidently.

"I doubt that! You're nothing more than a brigand." The Zygerrian states with disapproval.

Anakin smirks. "I wouldn't say that. Especially when the Queen hears you prevented her from hearing the news about, Bruno Denturri."

The Zygerrian growls and steps forward, and two more guards run up to Anakin, pointing their blasters at him. Before any move can be made, the droid floats forward.

"Halt. Cease all hostilities. This man is to be escorted to the palace, by order of the Queen." the probe droid tells him.

The Zygerrian scowls in annoyance but complies, leading us to the palace where the Queen would await us. Master Kenobi and Rex follow along behind us, just far enough to not be noticed and I inwardly breathe a sigh of relief.

 _"Well this went better than expected,"_ I remark, giving Ahsoka another shove forwards.

 _"I would agree, but if you keep shoving me I will end you,"_ she says threateningly. Underneath my mask I roll my eyes with a mischievous grin.

 _"Eh, it's only fair. It gives me an excuse to get back on you for beating the crap out of me when we were younger,"_ I respond cheekily. Ahsoka lets off a mental growl of annoyance.

* * *

Later, the Zygerrian who we learn to be named Atai, leads us forwards into the throne room, where the Zygerrian Queen sits on her throne. She wears a lot of jewelry showing off her wealth, and the throne room is covered with polished and expensive metals, as well as beautifull plants. And of course the slaves waiting obediently and fearfully. The sigh of them makes me bristle in slight anger, but I give no reaction. Purple and green colored convors sit around the Queens throne, and she strokes on dearly.

"Make certain all preparations are complete for this evening." the Queen says, looking at us. Anakin gives her a charming smile and she eyes him in delight, making me roll my eyes. "And fetch refreshments," she says to the Twi'lek girl, who nods before scurrying away.

We all bow to her while Anakin keeps his arms crossed. Ahsoka offers a quick and dramatic bow while I do it more traditionally.

"My Queen," Atai says. "I present, Lars Quell."

She regards us all with a gaze. "Hmmph. So you are the man who claims to be acquainted with Bruno Denturri?" she asks Anakin.

"Yes your Highness," he responds, taking off his helmet. He offers her a charming smirk and flips his hair, completely betraying the dislike he holds of it. "However, when I spoke with him, he failed to describe your beauty."

I internally gag at this, and I'm sure Ahsoka was as well. Imagine if the holonet were to catch wind of this side of Anakin. He's always been proclaimed as the nice-looking and hot Jedi, much to our amusement and his annoyance.

The Queen chuckles, but it isn't friendly. "Really? And did Bruno speak of my intense hatred for him? Or did that escape his memory as well?" she asks, an angry frown now on her face. Atai aims his blaster at Anakin with a smirk, and me and Ahsoka exchange brief but concerned looks. Maybe this wasn;t going to work as well as we thought it would.

However, Anakin isn't concerned, and continues to speak confidently, lowering Atai's weapon with his hand. "He needed not speak of it your Majesty. In fact, Bruno Denturri will not be speaking, ever again," he says. This time you can hear that his words are sincere.

"What do you mean?" the Queen asks in confusion.

"Bruno Denturri is dead, by my hand!" Anakin proclaims. "Here is a slave from his palace, as compensation for my efforts."

I move away from Ahsoka so that Anakin can rip the black cloak away from her. Ahsoka wears a cyan colored dress that reveals her lower midsection, and shows off most of her legs as well. On her head and montrals she was wearing a golden tiara with green gems. She gives off a false, startled and alarmed look before ripping her arm away from Anakin.

"Unhand me brigand!" she demands, not very convincingly. I choke down a laugh, covering it off as a cough when Atai looks over at me. Anakin gives her a 'wtf' look and she widens her eyes nervously, giving off a tiny shrug.

 _"That is so convincing my slave,"_ I tell her sarcastically, just barely managing to hold back my laughter at the play acting she gave. How the Queen and Atai aren't taking notice of that is beyond me. Ahsoka sends me a small glare.

 _"Like you could do any better!"_ she retorts angrily. I give a barely noticeable shrug. _"Fair point."_ I tell her.

The Queen rises from her throne, and the slaves and Zygerrians immediately bow.

"You impress me Lars Quell," she admits. Anakin pushes on Ahsoka's shoulder to get her to kneel, and I follow suit. "She's quite the prize," she continues to say, and I slightly bristle inwardly at how the Queen eyes Ahsoka like a treat. I know this is what we were hoping for, but still.

"And to have defeated Bruno Denturri in combat? You must be quite the warrior," the Queen comments. Once she walks by us, we rise from our positions again and the Queen begins to circle Ahsoka.

"Hmm hmm. The slave is certainly of fine stock. Bruno always knew how to choose a beautiful female," she says, moving to touch her. I roll my eyes in disgust, and then Ahsoka shows off more of her attitude, part acting and part truth. She smacks the Queen's arm away and looks at her angrily.

"Don't, you dare touch me!" she warns the Queen with a glare, a lot more convincing this time. I give a slight nod of approval.

 _"Much better!"_ I praise her.

The Queen eyes Ahsoka with a displeased frown, and the two enter a brief staring contest.

"Though she will have to be processed!" The Queen says angrily. "Her demeanor leaves much to be desired. What is our price for her?" she asks, turning her attention back to Anakin.

 _"Great. Now I'm going to be processed!"_ Ahsoka says in sarcastic displeasure.

 _"As if I'd let them do that to you. Or Anakin either."_ I say reassuringly.

 _"I know you wouldn't,"_ she says fondly.

"With respect, how ca I price the beauty of this slave when I look upon the magnificence of your highness?" Anakin asks with his charm. "Whose beauty would make the brightest stars seem dull by comparison?"

Me and Ahsoka roll our eyes in disgust and exasperation.

 _"I change my mind. Have me processed now,"_ Ahsoka says in disgust. I nod my head. _"I second that."_

"Hmm, Lars Quell. You flatter me!" the Queen says.

"No your Majesty. However..." Anakin says, leaning in to whisper into the Queen's ear. Judging by the Queen's reaction, he's certainly saying the correct words... my gosh. Me and Ahsoka are almost gaping at him in disbelief. I get that Anakin is a good looking guy but, where in the world did he learn the art of seducing females such as slave queens into giggling like a teenage girl?

 _"It's almost as if he's got experience,"_ I say in stunned shock. Ahsoka nods numbly, not bothering to reply as we agree on the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Lars stop it, stop it!" The Queen exclaims, smacking him lightly. "You are a bold one aren't you?"

"My reputation proceeds me then?" he asks with a grin. Apparently not enough if the Zygerrians, who are Jedi haters, can;t recognize the Hero With no Fear, esteemed Jedi General in the GAR, whose known throughout many planets. No wonder we Jedi toppled the first slave empire.

"Perhaps we can find a way to put a price on your slave," she offers. The Queen then holds out her hand to Anakin and he accepts it. "Come, walk with me."

She leads us outside, so me, Ahsoka, R2 and R5 follow them to the balcony.

* * *

Outside on the balcony, the Queen and Anakin continued to discuss things while I played the part, 'leading' Ahsoka along while we followed the two. A Twi'lek girl stepped forward to offer two drinks, which they accept.

"Slavery is the natural order of things. The weak deserve nothing more than to kneel before the strong, bound to our service!" The Queen comments. "I will need men of your talents, to spread our ways across the galaxy."

Before anyone can continue, the Twi'lek rushes forwards with a knife, intending to stab the Queen and kill her. I was almost disappointed when Anakin caught her hand and took the knife, but at the same time I knew the assassination of the Queen wouldn't bring the slave empire down, and wouldn't help us uncover the location of the missing colonists.

"Let me go!" the slave cries out fearfully, falling to the ground in front of us. Anakin steps forwards calmly, doing his best to come off as no threat while remaining undercover, and Atai points his blaster at the girl.

"You dare to raise a hand against your Master?!" The Queen demands angrily. "Clearly you require further processing!"

"No!" the girl says, backing up. "I won't go back there!" she looks over the railing she stands on and I widen my eyes with dread, sensing her intentions.

"Wait, stop!" Anakin calls out, rushing towards her.

It was too late, as the girl jumps off the balcony with a cry, clearly choosing death rather than the life of slavery. It takes all my willpower not to raise a hand to my head in horror, and me and Ahsoka share looks of anguish, devastated by the sight.

"Such a waste," the Queen comments without a care, and I glare at her angrily. Luckily the mask hides my face, so I can make all the faces I want at her. Unfortunately for Ahsoka she doesn't have that luxury, so she has to do her best to play the part of the fearful and cowering slave.

"But perhaps she's more trouble than she's worth," she says. "But you Lars, you are proving quite resourceful." The Queen lets out a sigh. "Very well. We'll pay the price for this slave girl. It seems I am, in need of a new servant."

"She is my, gift to you Highness." Anakin finally says, recovering and settling back into his charming character.

"You are a man of surprises, it pleases me." The Queen praises him. "I wish you to be my guest at the slave auction, to sit at my side."

Anakin offers her a hand, and they walk off around the balcony again. Me and Ahsoka exchange concerned glances before following after them, feeling regret for the girl's suicide.

* * *

Later that day, we were all at the auction with the Queen, where a large crowd was gathered in the stands. Anakin and Ahsoka stood on either side of the Queen with R2 and R5. Because of Anakin managing to get into the Queen's good graces, I was allowed to roam the walkways surrounding the square arena. So I did that to give us a more strategic advantage if something were too happen, and I passed by Rex in one of the halls. We gave each other subtle nods before continuing onwards.

"You Highness, Zygerrians, and guests from a thousand worlds!" The auctioneer said proudly in the center of the stage. "Our auction begins with slaves of unmatched quality and impossible quantity!" he exclaims, gaining a cheerful reaction from the crowd.

I roll my eyes in disgust. The fact that so many people promote the use of slavery and pain upon those they view as beneath them absolutely sickened me. Especially when they could just as easily build droids to do the work for the same price as a slave.

"I give you, Togruta from the Kiros system!" he shouts, gesturing to the door. Out walks the Togrutan colonists leader Roshti, and he is forced out of the doorway.

My eyes widen at the state he was in. He was doubled over from obvious pain and malnutrition, and his clothes were ragged. His skin and montrals, which would normally be a bright clean color, were dull from lack of cleaning. He looked horrible. The crowd cheered gleefully as he looks around in fear.

"This handsome sample represents a lot of numbering, no less than 50,000 beings!" The auctioneer continues. "Note the compliance, virtually untrained in combat, there will be no rebellion from these slaves!" he yells in sick delight. Me and Rex both glance over at Anakin, and give him a brief signal, showing him that we were prepared for action if needed. He nods back before going to speak to the Queen.

A few moments later, the Queen then stands up to make an announcement.

"Before we begin the auction, I would welcome a most special guest!" she proclaims. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight!"

Wait, WHAT?!

I look over at the opened door and watch in shock as Master Kenobi is pushed out into the arena by two Zygerrian guards. He looks absolutely awful, signs of abuse and torture evident on his body. He holds his side and covers his eyes from the bright light with a grimace. His usually pristine robes are riddled with cuts and tears. The crowd all boo at him, jeering and laughing at his plight.

"My friends, my good friends. Do not fear the Jedi. they are no different from others we have forced into submission!" The Queen states fiercely. "For they have forsaken their ideals to serve a corrupt Senate, every Jedi has become a slave to the Republic."

Despite not agreeing with her words for obvious reasons, I could sense that she was actually sincere, and truly believed we were no more than slaves to the Republic, in her own twisted way.

"The Jedi Order is weak, and we will help break it!" The Queen states proudly, causing the crowd to roar with approval and delight.

The Queen then hands Anakin a whip from what I could see, and he accepts it, heading down into the arena. Despite the situation I had to give a small sigh of relief. If Anakin was the one with the whip then this could be a perfect opportunity for the five of us to bring down the auction and possibly the Slave Empire itself in one quick blow. Anakin and Obi-Wan engage in a brief but subtle conversation, and he then looks up at the Queen who watches eagerly.

"Prove to me that you are a slaver. Swing that whip! Or die beside him," she threatens.

Anakin lowers his head for a moment before looking around the crowd. He gives Rex a nod and then glances at me, and I nod back, slipping the lightwhip out from under my cloak, but keeping it unactivated in my hand. He looks to Ahsoka and the droids, who nod back, giving R2 and R5 the signal to open their domes in preparation for releasing our lightsabers.

"You leave me no choice Highness!" Anakin states with a bow, activating the whip. She smirks with approval and Anakin stands up, giving us a two fingered salute.

He then swings the whip at a Zygerrian guard, yanking his blaster away and allowing Master Kenobi to roll forwards and throw him away with a force push, betraying his weak appearance. R2 shoots Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsaber into the air, and R5 shoots my out as well. I use the force to direct my lightsaber towards me and catch it, while the other two grab their lightsabers. I activate the two weapons in my hands and the spectators back away from me in fear, while guards rush forwards.

"Guards, subdue them!" the Queen orders.

Zygerrians begin to open fire, and I deflect the shots away with my lightsaber in my right hand, while slashing them unconscious with the lightwhip in my left. Ahsoka goes on the attack and takes down one of the guards before retrieving her lightsaber from R2, and taking out the others.

I rush through the hallways, deflecting blaster bolts and returning attacks with my whip. There isn't much space in the hallway so they can't overwhelm me through sheer numbers, but if I get pinned in a tight area it won't go very well. Captain Rex is suddenly tackled off the balcony and to the arena floor on the opposite side, where he gets up groggily.

Unfortunately things begin to go downhill from there. I notice out of the corner of my eye that Ahsoka was shocked by the Queen, who managed to secretly activate the shock collar on her. How we forgot about that things is in maddening, and then more guards enter the arena and balcony. I attempt to rush in the direction of Queen's box to rescue Ahsoka, but there were just too many guards in the way.

The Zygerrians in the arena all activate lightwhips and begin attacking Obi-Wan and Anakin with overwhelming force.

Six guards move on either side of the cramped hallway, trapping me, and activate their lightwhips with sadistic grins. I glare back at them through my masked helmet, and rush at the three in front of me, lightsaber and whip trailing at my side. They prepare themselves to strike, but I surprise them with a force push that knocks them into the wall, unconscious.

I then notice Obi-Wan getting taken down by the amount of lightwhips, and he cries out in pain.

"Master!" I yell out worriedly, forgetting where I was at the moment. A lightwhip latches onto my wrist and begins to shock me, and I cry out in pain and drop my own lightwhip. I then wrench my arm forward, catching the Zygerrian by surprise and manage to slice his weapon, deactivating the beam. I kick him in the helmet and then notice Anakin get snagged by the whips as well after putting up a heroic effort.

I watch the scene in shock and helplessly, when more guards arrive behind me. Although I absolutely hated doing this, there was no way I could stay here any longer. I was now the last man standing, and the only way I could rescue everyone or continue on with the mission was to get the crap out of there.

So I ran through the hallway towards the exit, jumping towards it and destroying the door with a charge, and tumble to the other side. Guards chase after me, so I get back up and deactivate my lightsaber, heading outside of the auction arena and into the crowded streets outside.

In order to keep from getting recognized, I rip my mask off and toss it aside, along with my cowl and black cloak. Underneath the cloak I was wearing a simple tunic, with gauntlets and gloves, as well as black pants armored boots that went up to my knees. I continued to run, managing to escape from the Zygerrians before they realized I had thrown away the only things that could identify me there, since I never took off the mask or cloak.

This was some absolute bantha fodder.


	32. Chapter 31 - Escape from Kadavo

A day had passed since Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex were captured by the Zygerrian's. Currently I was sitting in a hidden corner somewhere on the Queen's massive palace, tossing pebbles at a small target on the wall to give me something to do. I had no idea of the fates of R2 and R5, so I couldn't go looking for them yet and risk alerting the Zygerrian's, unless I could tap into a private frequency. Since my escape, guards and slavers had been searching everywhere in order to find me, but to no avail. Boy am I glad I kept that helmet on while in their presence, so the only way they would be able to identify me is if they saw my lightsaber, and I obviously won't do that.

The worst part about this is that every so often I would feel Ahsoka's pain across the bond. No doubt that sleemo Atai was torturing her with the shock collar just for his own amusement. It made me furious, especially when I could see the cage she was trapped in from a far distance, hanging over the side of one of the upper layers of the palace. I spent my free time talking with her, which was whenever I wasn't trying to stay hidden from the guards. Sure, they wouldn't recognize me, but I was still on the palace without permission so they would arrest me anyways.

 ** _"Once again, you continue to fail."_**

 _I look up to see a shadowy landscape surrounding me and Darth Revan, glimpses of long forgotten battles echoing around us._

 ** _"Why do you continue to resist the_** _ **truth?"** Darth Revan asks me. I stand up from my position on the ground, preparing myself once again to resist his temptations, a familiar moment once again._

 _"I will not be tempted by your trickery." I respond determinedly. He merely chuckles at me._

 ** _"Young child, you can't even begin to understand the ways of the Force,"_** _he says._

 _"Well I am still a learner," I respond hotly. "So forgive me for not understanding everything to your great knowledge."_

 ** _"And yet the light side still fails you. Once again your friends are in_** _**danger."** Darth Revan reminds me. **"If you could only understand the potential you hold..."** he begins to say, drifting off in his own fascination. I let out a scoff._

 _"What makes me different from any other Jedi?" I ask, my arms crossed. "Why do you continue to tempt me? It won't work!"_

 ** _"Oh my dear boy, your bloodline has so much potential! It shines like a beacon to me!"_** _Darth Revan states happily, clenching his fists to his chest for emphasis. I narrow my eyes at him with suspicious confusion._

 _"Bloodline? What are you talking about?!" I demand in irritation. He crosses his arms, his red and black mask gleaming._

 ** _"Use my knowledge, and you can learn the secrets you desire, destroy the Sith pretender Dooku, and right the wrongs of the_** _ **Jedi!"** Darth_ _Revan exclaims._

 _I'm silent for a few moments, considering. His offer does sound sincere, but then again, he is his a Sith Lord himself. Lies and deceit are part of the equation. I narrow my eyes at him again._

 _"No!" I say defiantly._

 _Darth Revan merely stares back quietly, and I'm not sure what to think._

 ** _"You'll learn so_ _on_ _enough."_** _he says ominously._

The screeching sound of an owl suddenly make me open my eyes and look up, though I wasn't sure why. At the top of one of the stone pillars on the balcony near where I was sitting, I saw a convor sitting there. I was about to brush it off when I noticed something strange about it. I looked closely and scrutinized the convor again.

It had creamy-white colored feathers, with a small yellow beak and a green layer of feathers down its back and coiled tail. What was intriguing were its eyes, as they stared back at me with intelligence. I became entranced with looking at them when I remembered it from before. Unlike the regular convors that the Zygerrian's had as pets, this one was actually, intelligent and smart looking! I also remember seeing it back at the Room of a Thousand Fountains in the Temple... when Ahsoka was abducted by the Trandoshans.

I started to get up when it flew away again, and a few moments after, R5 came rolling slowly past my little hideout. I widened my eyes in joy.

"Psst! R5!" I whispered to him. He stopped and looked over at me before beeping in delight. He rushed forwards and bumped against my leg, and I stumbled backwards a little bit.

"Woah, easy. It's good to see you too," I remark, giving his dome a pat. "So what's been going on?"

R5 beeps out what's been happening the last few days, and I frown in confusion.

"The Queen is still having Anakin walk her around the place like before?" I ask in surprise. He beeps back and I nod in frustrated understanding. "Of course she'd use him as a symbol," I grumble.

"Where's Obi-Wan?" I ask him.

He beeps back at me: he doesn't know.

"Well that's not going to be good," I mutter, crossing my arms with a frown. "We need a plan," I tell him.

Before we can discuss any further I hear the Queen's voice and quickly hide behind the stonework, and R5 does the same, remaining absolutely still. Anakin and the Queen walk by, escorted by two guards. She has her arm linked with his and is leaning on his shoulder. An angry scowl is on his face, no doubt because he's being forced to do this with the others under constant threats.

"Have you considered my offer Skywalker?" she asks him sweetly. "If you vow loyalty to me, I will free your friends."

Anakin glances at her, conflicted. "It's not an easy decision," he admits.

"Hmm, curious," she remarks. "I thought the Jedi were selfless, placing the needs of others above their own."

As the two continue to walk on, I glance at from my hiding spot at their backs and give a nod to R5, doing my best to discretely follow after them. I don't fail to notice R2 start to follow after us secretly as well, and hide my smirk, pretending to act like a simple guy traveling through the walkway. Thankfully, any other Zygerrian's that walk by are too stupid or arrogant in their power to bother wondering why a human teenager would be walking along the palace without an escort.

However, I have to quickly jump up into a small corner of the wall when Atai runs up to them. R2 and R5 move close to each other, acting like two regular old astromech droids that have nothing to do at the moment as they beep to each other.

"My Queen, I bring word. Count Dooku is on his way here." Atai states. I widen my eyes in alarm. This would definitely complicate things for us to a much more dangerous level if the big bad himself is here. The Queen frowns.

"Eh, sooner than expected," she says in slight surprise. "Make preparations for his arrival." The Queen waves Atai off, who bows and rushes into the palace.

Once he is gone, Anakin walks up to the Queen. "So even you have a master."

"Dooku is not my master!" she says with a dangerous hiss. She then turns around to Anakin, her demeanor back to the happy and flirting Queen from before. "Perhaps you should not attend this meeting. Can I trust you not to run away?"

In response, Anakin glares at her and points his lightsaber hilt at the Queen's chin, forcing her to lean her head back.

"I don't run away from anything your Highness!" he says angrily. Immediately, the two Zygerrian guards point their blasters at Anakin's skull at point-blank range. He gives them a brief glance while the Queen chuckles, taking his lightsaber.

She eyes him with a smirk before walking off into the palace, leaving the guards to hold him there. One guard shoves him forward and he raises his hands. They continue to hit his back with the butt of their blasters more, and seeing the coast to be clear of anyone else, I leap down from the wall I was hidden in. Anakin glances back at the Zygerrians angrily, and then notices me, giving me a brief look of surprise. I smirk at him and step forward, R2 and R5 behind me.

I tap one of the guards on the back and cross my arms with a confident smirk on my face. He turns around to look at me angrily the other guard following suit.

"How's it going?" I ask.

The moment the words leave my mouth I punch the first guard in the face, and Anakin spins around, grabbing the other before throwing him off the edge of the building, where he crashes into a market far below. I kick the guard I'm battling in between the legs, and he gasps in agony, when I use the Force to push him off of the building as well.

"Nice work you three." Anakin says with a grin. I smile back at him.

"Thanks. Apparently these two were stalking you and the Queen for quite some time," I tell him. The droids beep in affirmative, and Anakin smiles proudly.

"Did you find Ahsoka?" he asks us.

In response, R2 activates his thrusters and begins to fly off, and the rest of us follow after him.

"She's being hung in some sort of cage at the higher levels of the palace," I inform him, climbing up the different levels. He nods in understanding. On the way up though, the Force begins to grow colder, and I let off a small shiver. I knew instantly the only person capable o creating such a feeling, at least to my knowledge was Dooku.

* * *

After a few minutes of traveling up the side of the massive palace, we eventually reach the level where the cage holding Ahsoka is being held. R2 and R5 fly up, getting her attention, and I grab onto the bottom of the cage, causing her to jerk away in surprise. She was just laying down there, seemingly bored.

"Jarik! You scared me!" she exclaimed angrily. I chuckled and flipped onto the top, where Anakin landed as well.

"Payback," I tell her with a smirk, betraying the absolute relief I felt that we were rescuing her. Of course she probably knew that already.

"Huh. Well Master, it took you guys long enough," she says with a grin, looking at us on top of the cage.

"Well, we knew you had a nice view." Anakin says, gesturing to the massive city and sun surrounding us. She really did have a nice view, I was almost jealous. We then leaped off of the cage onto the balcony, and slowly raised our hands, concentrating with the Force. We used it to gently lift the cage and deposit it on the ground, where Anakin ripped off the hatch.

"Are you ok?" he asks in concern, helping her up.

"I sense a disturbance in the Force," she says calmly, ripping the shock collar off with ease. Once again I'm marveling how we didn't remember that in the first place, it would have saved us a whole lot of trouble. when I notice the angry scorch marks on her neck from the torture she undoubtedly received, I narrowed my eyes angrily. That gutless wrench Atai was going to pay for that, since she told me who it was. She notices my expression and sends feelings of reassurance across the bond, and I let out a sigh.

"It's Dooku." Anakin says, not noticing our small moment. He then hands Ahsoka a comlink. "I need you to get to our ship. Here, take this comlink."

She takes it but frowns at him. "Where are you going?" she asks him.

"The Queen knows where Obi-Wan is. Hold onto my comlink and wait for my signal. Come on Jarik," he says, beginning to take off. I look at him in surprise.

"Me?" I ask in confusion. "What for?"

"If we can't to the Queen, then I may need you to locate his location through a stray terminal somewhere," he explains. "Plus, Dooku's here, most likely with the Queen, who has my lightsaber."

"You expect Jarik to be able to hold off Dooku?" Ahsoka asks in surprise. I give her an annoyed look.

"Hey.."

"No, but he could stall him for a few second while I get my own." Anakin says.

I shrug in acceptance. "Alright, whatever."

* * *

Sensing that Dooku's Force presence was clearly in the throne room, Anakin decided to go in through the front entrance, while I chose to sneak in through one of the side openings into the throne room. It was there that I entered above the conflict below, and noticed I was directly above Atai near the end of the room by the throne. Count Dooku was standing more in the main part of room, the Queen lying on the ground beside him. The only reason Dooku hadn't taken notice of me yet was most likely because of Anakin, who barged in through the front.

"I see the Queen has given you a long leash." Dooku states, turning around to face him. "One more step, and I will end her life," he threatens. I raise a brow in disbelief. He couldn't expect Anakin to care to much about a slave queen, right?

"Why would you think I care about this slaver scum?" he demands angrily. Yup.

"Indeed," Dooku replies with a smirk. He activates his crimson lightsaber, and twirls it in a fancy salute, clearly showing off as he pointed it at him. I watched intently, slightly curious about seeing my fellow Makashi dueler in action, although mostly worried for Anakin. In response, he grabs the Queen's electric whip and activates it. Dooku makes a face of disgust.

Anakin slashes at Dooku a few times, but is easily blocked effortlessly. Dooku attempts to jab or slice him with his saber, but anakin dodges, getting closer until the lightwhip is knocked from his hands. He looks back at the Count, knowing what's about to happen but refusing to show fear, while I widen my eyes in worry.

The moment Dooku unleashes his Force lightning, I jump down and land right behind Atai, who whirls around in surprise. I slash my saber at him furiously. He just barely manages to avoid my strike, but his hand doesn't. He cries in pain as his left hand is removed from his body and I leap towards Dooku, not caring about the slaver right now. At least I got him back for torturing Ahsoka.

Dooku glances back at me and turns around, stopping his force lightning against Skywalker to block my attack. He pushes me back and I ready my lightsaber in a standard Makashi salute before holding it at my side. Dooku smirks at me.

"Ahh, Jarik Shan. Finally, a duelist that I can respect," he says, referring to my favoritism of Makashi, which is public knowledge like Master Kenobi's Form III or Anakin's Form V.

I swallow nervously but charge forwards, swinging my lightsaber in a quick and direct arc. Dooku blocks that attack before sidestepping, hoping to make me stumble. I however use this to my advantage and use the momentum to twist my body around for another strong attack, and we enter a blade lock for a brief second before he shoves me away again. Then Dooku goes on the offensive, effortlessly twirling his lightsaber in expert moves using a very advanced version of Form II that I had yet to Master, but could at least understand what it was. Thankfully, I manage to just barely dodge or deflect his quick attacks before Dooku uses the Force to throw me to the ground next to Anakin.

Anakin starts to get up, recovering from the lightning just as the door opens, where three Zygerrian guards rush into the room fom all the commotion.

"That Queen!" the lead guard exclaims exclaim. Atai gets up, clutching his stump in pain and glares at me in a furious rage.

"The young Jedi killed her! Get him! I want their skulls!" he yells in pure rage.

Seeing our plight, Anakin presses a button on his comlink to Ahsoka, and moves to pick up the unconscious Zygerrian.

"Take your vengeance!" Dooku exclaims. He leaps towards us, lightsaber slashing through the air, but me and Anakin jump away in time to the wall, the Queen in her arms. The Zygerrians immediately opened fire, and we dodged the shots before Anakin jumped out the window, breaking the glass. I deflected a shot that strayed to close before following suit, landing on the ramp of our cargo shuttle.

I walk inside, deactivating my lightsaber to see Anakin lay the Queen gently on the ground.

"Your Highness," he says.

The Queen cringes in pain. "No escape... for any of us," she says, handing him his lightsaber. Anakin takes it before looking back at her.

"Where, is Obi-Wan? Tell me!" he asks quickly, his voice breaking a little bit. The Queen gasps and her face scrunches up in pain before she answers.

"Kadavo system..." she says weakly. "You were right Skywalker... I am a slave... just, as you are!"

With those words, the Queen's head falls back, now lifeless. I don't know whether to feel happy or sad at the Slave Queen's death, due to her small little redemption in the last few seconds of her life.

* * *

After exiting from hyperspace into the Kadavo system, we immediately flew the ship down to the planet where the slave facility was being held. During our travel through lightspeed, we took the time to change back into our original Jedi attire, and had to admit it felt good again. Due to our ship design, we landed on the facility docks with no trouble at all.

We opened the door, and immediately rushed out of the ship, ready for action. R2 and R5 flew after us with their jet boosters. The moment we did however, turrets immediately came to life and blasted our ship to bits, much to our surprise. Maybe they are a little bit smart after all. However they were too late, as we had already made it to the door. However, is was locked tight, and the turrets had us pinned down.

"So much for our ride home." Anakin remarks.

"And I was just starting to enjoy the cargo shuttle!" I exclaim over the sound of blaster fire.

"What now?" Ahsoka asks. Anakin responds by pulling out his lightsaber and jabbing it through the door.

"We get through the old fashioned way."

I roll my eyes and move to the control panel, taking off the cover and tinkering with the wires. Ahsoka giggles at her Master's cluelessness and that he forgot who I was. In the middle of our work, the screen suddenly lights up to show Master Kenobi looking out with pleading eyes.

 _"Anakin! I'm glad to see you, but I'm afraid our host feels otherwise!"_ he says.

"You can't make everyone happy Master." Anakin responds, almost halfway through cutting the door. At this rate I would definitely beat him.

 _"They're threatening to kill the slaves unless you surrender,"_ he warns us. I look up from my work in shock.

"What?!" I exclaim.

"Well it's good to see you're always ready to negotiate." Anakin replies, fuming. "But I've had enough bargaining with slave drivers!"

 _"Anakin you must realize that this is a fight you cannot win alone!"_ Master Kenobi pleads with him. Anakin responds with a smirk.

"Who said anything about being alone?" he asks rhetorically. The transmission is then ended and soon enough, the fleet we called for arrived out of hyperspace and sent down their fighters, led by Master Plo. They begin their attack run on the facility, but the gun towers repel their shots, which leads me to conclude that they're ray shielded.

"I hope you told Master Plo not to destroy the facility before we get off of it," Ahsoka says worriedly.

"Yeah, us and the slaves." Anakin replies.

When he's two thirds of the way through the door, I cross a few more wires and the door opens up, much to Anakin's surprise.

"What the-" he asks in confusion, glancing around. When his eyes landed on me, I smile cheekily at him, waving the wires around. He scowls at me.

"You could've told me about that earlier," he said.

I shrugged. "You were already cutting through the door," I respond, causing Ahsoka to snicker in amusement.

Before Anakin could say anything more, Zygerrian guards ran through the hallway and began firing at us. Ahsoka and I activated our lightsabers, deflecting blaster shots while Anakin charged forwards, slicing through the slavers without hesitation, stabbing the last one and causing him to gasp in pain. Ahsoka shakes her head in disapproval and I eye the sliced up bodies with a grimace, but we continue onwards.

* * *

The facility continues to shake from the battles outside as we make our way through it, encountering Zygerrian guards every so often that Anakin mercilessly cuts down. Me and Ahsoka continued to share worried glances the more he did it, but we could sense he wouldn't stop killing them even if we tried to stop him because of his slave past.

 _"The controls are destroyed, Master Plo."_ Master Kenobi's voice said through the comlink. _"There's nothing we can do from here!"_

 _"I cannot move the cruiser in for the rescue operation until those enemy canons are destroyed."_ Master Plo informs us.

"We'll take care of those cannons,"Anakin replied. "Just make sure that cruiser gets down here, we're running out of time!"

"I'm going to go help my people, I'll see if I can buy us some time!" Ahsoka says. I move to follow after her.

"I'll give you some back up," I say.

Anakin nods. "Alright, good luck you two!"

We split up, and the droids went with us as we traveled to where the Togrutan slaves were supposed to be held. I could sense Ahsoka's anxiety and worry for her people, but didn't comment on it. We were about to help them anyways.

We reached the correct door after a minute of so, and I brought up the control panel, pushing a few buttons to activate the door. Once I did that, we saw the slaves standing in a group, with the floor panel slowly backing up to get smaller. Me and Ahsoka jump over to the platform and start to analyze the room. The walls are covered in electric shields which would kill anyone who touches them, so that isn't an option. During our inspection of the facility the slaves whisper to each other in disbelief that they're in the presence of Jedi, especially a Togrutan Jedi.

"I don't think there's a way to get them out of here!" Ahsoka say worriedly. I look around and nod in agreement.

"I guess you're right. We'll need another strategy," I reply.

Ahsoka thinks for a moment before her face lightens up. "What about the light cruiser?" she asks.

I look at her in confusion. "The what?"

"If the cruiser can manage to fly underneath the facility, we'll be able to help them escape from there!" she tells me. My face brightens a little and I nod in agreement. It's a good plan.

 _"You're all clear Master Plo."_ Anakin's voice says through the com channel. _"Bring the cruiser to the landing pad."_

Ahsoka raises her wrist com to her mouth. "Cancel that order, Master!" she replies. "There's no way to get the people out of the holding cell and up to the landing platform, but I have an idea," she says, beginning to explain her plan. "We need to have the cruiser move in underneath the facility, we can escape onto the ship if Admiral Coburn can get in close enough."

We hear words of agreement and shut down the comlink before continuing our wait as the floor steadily gets smaller. Soon enough, the light cruiser passes by underneath the entire facility, and Wolf Troopers with jet packs fly up towards us, firing their cables.

"Okay, everyone, get ready." Ahsoka addressed the group. "We'll have to go by groups!"

The slave escapee's began to look more hopeful at the situation, and filed each other to the edge for the cables to climb down to the cruiser. Me and Ahsoka waved them on as R2 and R5 flew down to the cruiser below as well.

I then noticed a Togruta lose his footing, unintentionally dragging a young woman with him as well as the floor was almost retracted. Luckily they were caught by clones and diposited safely on the deck, where they nodded their thanks.

Another Togruta around her late twenties then missed the cable, and fell to the cruiser screaming. I leaped off the platform and accelerated downwards, managing to pass by her in the air and land first, cushioning my landing with the Force. I then used the Force to slow her fall and catch her in my arms, where I set her on the ground carefully.

"Thank you thank you!" she cries gratefully. I nod with a smile, and finally Ahsoka joins us as there are no more slaves to rescue.

"That's everyone." Wolffe tells us. "We have to go, the facility's breaking up!"

We then ran towards one of the top entrances to the ship, and entered it with everyone just as the cruiser began to back away from the facility and head towards the atmosphere away from the planet. Behind us, the gunships shot the support pillars to the factory, sending it plummeting down into the massive hole that they no doubt used as punishment for other slaves. Oh the irony.

* * *

Back in the Star Destroyer, the seven of us, five Jedi and two astromechs were walking through the hanger with Roshti, who was staring his thanks and gratitude.

"I thank you, the Jedi, and the Republic for saving our lives," he tells us gratefully.

"Ahsoka and Jarik are the real heroes." Anakin replied with a smile. "Without their creativity, I don't think we would've gotten your people to safety."

Ahsoka and I smiled shyly, and I gave Ahsoka a pat on the back. She responds by elbowing me in the stomach, and I flinch as she smirks at me. The Jedi Masters roll their eyes at or familiar behavior. We're almost as bad as Anakin and Obi-Wan, only we're more physical instead of verbal like they are.

"Indeed." Master Plo nods in agreement.

"Padawan Tano, might I have a word in private?" Roshti asked.

"Of course." Ahsoka answered with a smile, walking off with him. I then followed the others. Sensing this to be a more private conversation for Ahsoka and the governor.

"So, I heard you engaged Count Dooku in battle." Master Kenobi says, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I smile at him nervously.

"I'm not in trouble am I?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Oh no, you're fine. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Dooku is a Sith Lord after all, and is not one you should underestimate." Master Kenobi warns me. I nod in understanding.

"I think Dooku likes Jarik more than us," Anakin says. We all look over at him in confusion and he shrugs his shoulders. "He did say he respects him," he explains with a grin.

At Master Plo and Master Kenobi's questioning looks, I smile back at them sheepishly. "I think it'a because I favor Makashi like him."

Master Kenobi sighs in exasperation but gives me a smile. What a day right?


	33. Chapter 32 - Forgotten Memories

"Again." Master Kenobi instructs me. I sigh and close my eyes, regaining my kneeling position and focusing the Force. We were currently in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and he was having me feel through all the plant life and small animals roaming around. I took a deep breath and reached out into the surroundings. My task was to find the Force signature of a certain animal out of the many others, and Master Kenobi was having me find a simple rabbit. Now it sounds simple, but this is very hard to figure out. They all look very similar to each other, and I had to identify the correct one based on its individual signature.

I could sense Master Kenobi standing by a tree and watching my progress, and a few moments later I sighed in irritation.

"Why am I looking for a rabbit again?" I ask.

"To improve your skills with Force sense my young apprentice. It'll be a useful skill if you ever have the need to find a certain individual in a large group of people," he explains.

I reluctantly nod before settling back into my meditative position, stretching out my senses with the Force. I could sense Obi-Wan... the plants... small animals... rabbits, new life... peace...

This continued on for another few minutes before I honed in on the Force signatures of two rabbits. They were standing next to a small shrub, chewing on some grass. I concentrated and did my best to recognize which one was the rabbit I was looking for, and then finally I found it. I stood up and opened my eyes, walking over to the tree where the two rabbits were. I bent down and picked up the small fluffy brown rabbit, who continued to chew on his food without a care. I've always had a sweet spot for cute animals, and this thing was adorable.

Master Kenobi walked up to me as I scratched the rabbit behind its ears. "Well done Jarik," he congratulates me.

"Thank you Master," I say, letting the rabbit go again. It scampers off with its buddies, and me and Master Kenobi begin our walk out of the gardens.

"Have you ever had to go on a mission like that before Master? Where you had to search for someones Force signature?" I ask curiously.

"Many times Jarik. Especially as a Padawan with Master Qui-gon," he recalls fondly. I eye him curiously in interest.

"Really?" I ask.

He nods his head. "Yes I did. In fact, I once managed to stop a shot headed for his head using the same ability you did just now."

"Well that's cool," I remark.

"Indeed it is Jarik," he replies.

* * *

I slashed at his head, and he blocks the attack before shoving me back with his own quick maneuver. I backpedal before rushing at Master Kenobi again, who puts up a solid defense against my attacks. I spun my lightsaber around in an elegant arc and twisted my body to weave through Master Kenobi's defense. This ended up with us locking our sabers in an awkward position, and I wasn't sure where to go from there.

"Well... this is dangerous," I saw in between grimaces, trying to figure out how to disconnect without getting my face cut off.

"It certainly is," he agrees. Suddenly he frees up one hand and shoves my arm off balance, taking my lightsaber in the process as he pints them at me on the ground. "For you."

I give out a sigh. "Yeah I probably should have done that better," I admit, accepting his helping hand up as he returns my lightsaber.

"Well if you plan on facing the likes of Dooku again you will need a lot more practice." Master Kenobi tells me, and I nod in agreement.

"Out of curiosity, what made you take an interest in Makashi?" he asks me.

I give a shrug of my shoulders. "I don't know. As a kid I always thought Form II was a cool form to use. It's elegant, skillful and presicise. What about you Master? You seem pretty knowledgeable about Makashi even though you're the Soresu expert," I point out.

He points a hand to his beard. "Well Dooku did train Qui-Gon Jinn, who in turn trained me, so I am familiar with its technique."

I nod in understanding. It makes sense.

"You know Jarik, I've just realized that ever since we've become Master and Apprentice, we don't really know much about what came before for each other." Master Kenobi says. I look at him curiously, just realizing that too.

"Well I do know that you had a love affair with the Duchess," I say teasingly, and he sighs in exasperation.

"Forget I asked then," he says.

"No no it's alright. Truthfully I don't know much about my life before coming to the Temple," I admit. "All I remember was that I was given up... or something along that line," I remark with a frown. Master Kenobi stares at me inquisitively.

"Given up?" he asks in confusion.

I shrug. "I don't know. My parents for whatever reason had to give me up, and then I was found by the Jedi in an orphanage. Then I met Ahsoka at the Temple and we've been best friends ever since," I tell him. He gives me a look of sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he says.

"It's alright. I moved past that a long time ago," I say, giving him a reassuring smile as we walk out of the training room to our quarters.

* * *

 _He was confused, unsure of what was going on. Why were mommy and daddy leaving him?_

 _He raised his stubby arms out to them from the small bed that she was placing in a boat, whimpering softly._

 _"Shhh, it's going to be alright sweetie," she says soothingly, stroking his head._

 _He immediately calmed down. Mama wasn't going anywhere, and he gazes up at her with happy innocent eyes._

 _"Mama..." he says happily._

 _Then in the distance, a conflict could suddenly be heard, and a yell voice rang out across the field. Mama looked back fearfully before returning her gaze to her son, who looked back at her in confusion._

 _"Mama? What's that?" he asks innocently. She didn't answer and placed his cradle in the raft._

 _"No matter what happens, know that your father and I will always love you," she says, tears in her eyes._

 _The toddler looks at her in confusion. What was wrong?_

 _Harsh slashing sounds through the grass could be heard, and the mother pushed his raft away into the river, which headed towards the main city on the planet. He started to whimper, reaching his hands out to his mama, who only watches with a broken heart, tears streaming down her face._

 _"Mama!" he cries._

 _A scary man suddenly emerged behind mama, who turns around quickly to confront him. The two exchange in heated words, and he starts to cry out for mama, but he was too far away now to be heard._

 _The last he saw of his mother was a red blade piercing through her chest, held by the horned man._

 _He didn't stop crying that night._


	34. Chapter 33 - Deception

To our great disappointment, Master Kenobi told us that we had to return to the Temple immediately. We were in the middle of lunch as well. I rather enjoyed the meal.

"So, what's the big rush?" Anakin asks.

"The Jedi Council has called an emergency meeting." Master Kenobi explains.

Anakin gives off a sigh. "Uh, I can see it now. Another long, boring debate," he complains. I raise a brow at him with a grin.

"Would you rather it be a Senate meeting Master?" I ask him. He looks at me, horrified.

"You know what, this won't be so bad!" he decides.

Ahsoka takes the opportunity to get a jab at him as well. "Or have them call you in to train younglings?"

Anakin scoffs. "Are you crazy?"

Before anyone can respond, a shot suddenly goes off really close to Master Kenobi, followed by a barrage of more red bolts. We dodge out of the way and quickly go into battle mode, rushing behind a few crates just in front of our ship. I'm with Master Kenobi on one side while Anakin and Ahsoka are on the other.

"Any idea where that shot came from?" Master Kenobi asks, flinching away from another shot against our crate.

Ahsoka looks up and points to the roof. "A sniper! I see him up there!"

Another shot hits our crate and I give off a scowl. "Why does he seem to like us more than you two?" I complain, more annoyed than worried. A simple sniper is an easy opponent for four seasoned Jedi warriors.

"Alright, here's the plan. Anakin, you flank him on the right! Jarik, you and Ahsoka cover the lower streets. I'm going after him!" Master Kenobi tells us, and we nod in understanding.

With that being said, the four of us activate our lightsabers and rush out from our cover. A stray shot movs cose to me, and I deflect it away. Soon enough, the sniper begins to run away while me and Ahsoka run down the street. Anakin and Master Kenobi jump on top of the buildings.

"What a normal day for us!" I remark as we rush down the streets, occasionally glancing up to see any trace of the sniper.

"Oh you don't say!" Ahsoka retorts.

We continue running through the street, the few people giving us a wide berth, and eventually stop at an intersection, where Master Kenobi and Anakin are stopped on the roof as well.

A moment later, we both hear Obi-Wan's cry of pain and he falls from the roof, smashing into a pile of crates in front of us, much to our shock.

"Master!" I cry out in horror, rushing to his side.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin yells down to us.

"We got him! Go!" Ahsoka yells back, rushing to me and Obi-Wan's side.

I quickly lift Obi-Wan up as gently as I can and lie him down, Ahsoka supporting his head. I feel his neck for a pulse, and my heart fills with dread when I get no response. I put a head to his chest, but can hear no heartbeat.

"Master, come on don't do this!" I exclaim, refusing to believe he's dead. "Master!"

I shake him a few times, but he doesn't respond, his body lifeless. I sit back in shock and horror as Ahsoka supports him, and we look at each other with tears in our eyes. I try to say something, but my voice chokes up as I try to speak. A small crowd slowly gathers around us in shock, and someone calls the authorities, but I don't care about that.

There's no way he's dead!

Anakin suddenly lands a few feet away from us, and rushes over to where we were laying with Obi-Wan.

"How is he?!" he asks desperately.

Ahsoka looks at him with tears, unable to say anything, and I just sit there in shock, my expression t Anakin one of complete horror and pain. He immediately kneels down in front of us and starts shaking him, calling out his name. Police droids arrive on the scene, but we pay no attention to them.

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan!" he pleads. "OBI-WAN!"

* * *

We were all standing around a coffin, where Obi-Wan's body was covered with a white shroud. A crowd was gathered of all those who were acquainted with Obi-Wan. There was the Jedi Council, Padme, Satine, even the Chancellor himself. We all gazed mournfully at the coffin, wearing cloaks and hoods in respect. Anakin stands at the head of the coffin, and I stand on a corner of it, Ahsoka opposite to me. Satine's sobs echo through the chamber, while I'm still staring in a state of disbelief.

"I'm worried about Anakin and Jarik. They haven't said a word since it happened." Ahsoka says quietly to Master Plo. I barely hear her. The whole time, Ahsoka has tried to send me feelings of comfort through our bond, but while it does help, it isn't enough to get rid of the grief in my soul. How could we have been bested by a simple mercenary with a sniper rifle!?

Anakin gazes at the coffin, nothing but anger visible on his face as it is lowered into the ground. Once the doors seal shut over his body, a bright white laser emits from the ground, signaling that Obi-Wan is one with the Force.

Anakin shuts his eyes in fury, and my gaze grows cold and distant as I continue to watch the coffin. Gold flicks through my eyes every now and then, kept only at bay by Ahsoka who can obviously sense my anger and emotion, doing her best to keep me from losing myself in it through our bond.

Nobody in the room, me included, ever noticed the Chancellor regard Anakin with a hidden glee in his eyes, while he glances at me with interest, yet hiding it behind a mask of sorrow.

* * *

Later that evening, I was holed up in our quarters- my quarter's now... I still had yet to say anything, and who knows what Anakin was doing right now.

I heard a knock on the door and was about to tell whoever it was to scram when Ahsoka's voice filtered through the door.

"Jarik, can I come in?" she asks me quietly.

I hold my tongue and let Ahsoka know over the bond that she could come in. She enters the room and see's me lying on my bed, where I was slumped against the wall, my cloak discarded and hair an absolute mess. My eyes were bloodshot from hidden tears as I barely paid attention to my surroundings.

She cautiously sits on the bed next to me, and puts an arm around my shoulders, not knowing what to say other than to help me through this.

After a couple minutes of silence I speak. "Why did it have to be him?" I mumble.

Ahsoka looks at me, unsure how to respond and I let off a sigh. "Call me selfish, but I wish it was some other person who took the shot," I say, looking away shamefully.

"You know you don't really mean that," she says softly. I don't respond.

"What happened wasn't your fault, not anyone's fault. It was the sniper," she tells me.

"Then why do I feel like this?" I ask.

"Because you care about him." Ahsoka says, scooting closer.

"Cared," I corrected her. She sighs.

"He was like a second father to me," I start to say. "Master Plo was like a father-figure for you, which extended to me because of our friendship, but Obi-Wan was the whole deal," I tell her.

"And he certainly wouldn't want you moping around either," she reminds me.

"Because it isn't the Jedi way?" I grumble angrily.

"No!" she says, forcing me to look at her. Her expression is filled with sadness, and anger. "Because he wouldn't want you to keep blaming yourself or make yourself feel horrible dummy!" she says.

"Then what am I supposed to feel?!" I bite back sharply.

"Sorrow, but gratitude that he was there for you as a mentor, and a friend," she tells me softly.

I don't say anything, but we slowly wrap our arms around each other as she rubs my back comfortingly. I finally start to cry into her lekku, and she just responds by offering me waves of reassurance and comfort through the bond, and continuing to rub my back through our tight hug.

I don't deserve such an awesome friend like her.

* * *

The next day in the evening, Master Yoda called me, Ahsoka and Anakin to let us know that they managed to find the location of Rako Hardeen, the sniper who killed Obi-Wan. We all hardened our eyes and gave each other determined nods, and set out to bring this murderer to justice for taking the life of one of the most wonderful people to ever live. Master Yoda made sure to stress to us that we were imprisoning, him, not killing. He definitely directed his words more to Anakin than the two of us. Whether Anakin will listen or not is another story.

We finally arrived at the bar, our faces as cold as frostbite and Anakin glares at all the occupants of the bar with venom. I stand on Anakin's right side while Ahsoka stands on his left. He takes his lightsaber and brings it to life with a loud hiss, gaining the attention of everyone in the bar. Everyone looks over and quiets down instantly, seeing how pissed off we were, especially since we were Jedi.

"Where, is Rako Hardeen!?" Anakin demands.

The bar-tender, some snake creature that I don't remember the name to, gestures nervously to the back rooms.

"Ah, back room!" he says fearfully. Good, he should be afraid of us.

We head back there and Anakin finally deactivates his lightsaber once there's no one else to glare at. We open one of the rooms and are met with the sight of Rako laying still on one of the beds by the window.

"Is he dead?" Ahsoka asks in distaste.

"A shame. I was looking forward to a chat," I say angrily, crossing my arms.

"He's about to be!" Anakin says, striding forward and bashing his knuckles together. He shoves Rako onto his back, who coughs before looking up at Anakin in confusion.

"A Jedi?" he asks groggily. "I... I already killed a Jedi, let me sleep," he says tiredly, rolling back over. I glare at Rako hatefully, my eyes flickering with gold at how much Rako doesn't seem to care or regret killing a Jedi, as if it was a winning game play! I growl low in my throat as Anakin eyes the sniper venomously.

"He's not dead, he's drunk!" he exclaims furiously. "Get up you filth!" he roars.

Anakin grabs Hardeen and violently throws him against the wall while me and Ahsoka watch, no sympathy in our eyes for the man's plight.

"If it was up to me I'd kill you right here!" Anakin yells in his face. Hardeen seems to drunk to listen. "But lucky for you, the man you murdered would rather see you rot in jail!" We all glare at Rako, who still seems to out of it to understand what exactly is going on.

"Now let;s go you coward, before I change my mind." Anakin says, shoving him our the door while we follow after him.

* * *

Later that night at the Coruscant city prison, we walk Rako forward, who now has regained his senses from whatever drink he had. He tried to escape while we were sitting in the speeder, but I grabbed him with the Force before he could jump out and slammed him back into his seat, pointing my lightsaber at his head while scowling fiercely at him. Needless to say Anakin was pissed, and delivered a swift punch to Rako's face before Ahsoka binded his wrists together behind his back. We then flew higher up so that Rako wouldn;t have any thoughts of jumping out.

We walked him towards the prison, where Commander Fox and a shock trooper were waiting.

"You should be expecting this scum," Anakin says, shoving Rako forward.

"Yes sir." Fox replies.

"Let us know if this trash is any trouble. I'm sure we'd love to have a conversation with him," I say coldly to the troopers, still glaring at Rako, who glares back at us.

We then leave the prison as Fox and the troopers shove Rako into the prison, where he would hopefully spend the rest of his days rotting in a cell.

* * *

With that taken care of, I still felt let down, and filled with grief. Sure, we arrested the sleemo, but that doesn't change anything that happened. What was going to happen now? I now had no Master, and I wasn't even sure if I wanted another Jedi teacher. The only ones I would tolerate to continue my training were either Master Plo or Anakin, and Anakin obviously wasn't a choice.

I slept alone in what are now my own quarters that night, crying myself to sleep, plagued by visions of Darth Revan, who continues to taunt me, saying that it was my fault for his death, and the Jedi are filthy liars who only do bad things.

I'm worried that Ahsoka and Anakin's influence in my life are the only things keeping me from losing it at this point.


	35. Chapter 34 - Friends and Enemies

After hearing about how Rako Hardeen escaped with Moralo Eval and Cad Bane, me and Anakin were all to eager to go out and track them down to shove them back in their cells, or if worst case scenario, kill them. To our great annoyance and shock, the Council refused to let us go out and hunt them down, fearing that our emotions were 'clouding our judgement.' It absolutely infuriated me.

So now I was in the training room with four remotes shooting at me on a high level in order to vent my anger away. I blocked and rolled away from the remotes, just barely keeping pace when one bolt nicked my arm, causing a slight sting. I scowled and swung my lightsaber, cutting the droid out of the air, where it fell to the ground in two pieces. The other three droids shot their lasers at me, so I deflected the shots and used the force to throw two of them into the wall, where they shattered into pieces from the violent impact.

The last remote continued to fire and I quickly swung my lightsaber, fiercely slashing it out of the air and cutting it into multiple pieces.

As the remote fell to the ground, I breathed out, slightly exhausted from the harsh workout. I shook my head and went to get more remotes when Ahsoka's voice stopped me.

"You know you aren't actually supposed to break them," she says, leaning against a column. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, real droids won't let you cut them up either," I tell her, picking up the broken droid pieces.

She moves away from the column over to me, concern on her face.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asks me.

"Of course I'm fine, I just took out four training remotes on the hardest level." I tell her, trying to be reassuring.

She shakes her head. "That's not what I meant," she says gently.

I stop cleaning up the droids and let out a defeated sigh. "It's just, why won't the Council let us capture those criminals?" I ask in frustration. "Forget the fact that one killed Obi-Wan, the head honcho is planning to kidnap the Chancellor!"

"I don't know," she admits. "I don't understand it either. The more this war goes on, the more questionable the Council has become. I just never noticed until now," she says sadly, with a frown. I nod slowly in agreement.

"Yeah, so have I," I tell her.

We stand in silence for a few moments when Anakin rushes in, looking for us.

"There you guys are! Come on, we've got a mission," he tells us firmly. We give each other a look.

"What mission?" I ask in confusion.

"To find Eval's gang and avenge Obi-Wan's death," he tells us fiercely. Me and Ahsoka give nods of understanding, both agreeing with this mission over our bond.

* * *

Our ship comes out of hyperspace over Nal Hutta, and I give off a frown of distaste.

"Oh great, this place." I remark in annoyance.

Ahsoka smirks at me. "Can't handle the swamp?" she asks teasingly. I shake my head.

"It's not the swamp... well some of it is," I tell her. "It's the inhabitants."

Anakin lands the shuttle on a flatter area, where a collection of ships and other buildings are at. Just as we land and exit the shuttle, another crappy ship takes off right next to us. What a piece of junk.

"So, what makes you think Obi-Wan's murderer is on Nal Hutta?" Ahsoka asks.

I got a tip, from the Chancellor himself." Anakin tells us confidently.

"Well that's a relief," I say with a grin. "So, any ideas on where to find these punks?" I ask him.

"Plenty of scum lying around." Ahsoka remarks, glancing around the rough place. Luckily for us, everyone knows not to mess with Jedi, even out here.

"Ahsoka, Jarik, you should know by now. If you want to find a lowlife," he starts to say.

"You start at the saloon." Ahsoka finishes, pointing at the building. A hole bunch of people are crowded around it.

"Wonderful," I deadpan.

We head up the ramp and enter the building, Gamorrean guards at the doors while drunk people walk out of it. Once we prepare to enter the main part of the bar, two guards block our way, but Anakin simply pushes them out of the way with the Force. Everyone stops what they're doing to look at us, and one of the guards attempts to attack us again. What a fool. Anakin raises the axe in his arm, then tosses it into the wall, where it just barely misses a guy, who looks at it warily.

Instead of going crazy, everyone actually starts to clap and cheer at the display, and I raise my eyebrows at it. Weird.

"The fugitives are already gone," the bartender tells us, knowing why we're hear.

"All three of them were here?" Anakin asks.

"Two came in, met the third," he informs us.

"When did they leave?" Ahsoka asks him.

I get a sense of greed from him and roll my eyes. "Nothing's free here on Nal Hutta, especially informa-" he begins to say, getting cut off by Anakin.

Anakin lifts the bartender in a choke hold, and Ahsoka looks away for a moment in annoyance, knowing what would happen. We don't do anything to stop it though, since we were in a hurry. Everyone in the bar goes quiet, looking at us with a mixture of fear and nervousness, others not really caring.

"I don't have time for games!" Anakin says angrily.

The bartender coughs and quickly answers. "You just missed them!" he tells us quickly.

"Keep talking." Anakin says coldly.

"I heard one of them say he bought a ship!" the bartender tells us.

After deciding that he had nothing else to tell us, Anakin lets him go, where he falls to the counter, coughing hard.

"Let's go you two." Anakin says, walking past us. We follow after him without a word.

* * *

After learning that Eval, Hardeen and Bane recently bought a ship, we started searching through all of the shipyards in town for any information regarding their whereabouts. During that time, we kept receiving urgent transmissions from the Council, but did our best to ignore them, until it finally got so annoying that I blocked our signals so that we couldn't be contacted, much to our relief.

Finally, we meet someone who tells us that he sold a ship to the fugitives we were looking for. He tells Anakin something that I don't understand, and Anakin deactivates the hologram showing the three.

"How do you know they couldn't have gotten very far?" Anakin demands.

He answers in reply a little gleefully, and Anakin scoffs in amusement.

"So you only gave them enough fuel to reach the nearest fueling station on Orondia, which is owned by your brother?" Anakin confirms. I roll my eyes in amusement as Anakin tosses the guy a credit, a little bit impressed.

 _"Well that's lucky,"_ I tell Ahsoka with a smirk. She nods in agreement.

"Well that's a nice little money making scam." Anakin says, walking away while the guy starts to laugh in amusement at his tactic.

"We better get going. Orondia is pretty deserted. They may steal a ship there, to throw us off their trail." Ahsoka says.

"I like your thinking Snips," Anakin says as we head back to the shuttle.

* * *

Soon enough, we exit hyperspace over the planet, and I can only hope we got here in time.

Anakin flew us down to the fueling station, with Ahsoka in the copilot's seat while I sat in the extra seats behind them. As we passed by, we noticed a trio entering a newly refueled ship.

"Look, it's Cad Bane!" Ahsoka points out.

"You sure about that Soka?" I ask cautiously.

She rolls her eyes. "Ugh, who else wears a hat like that?" she asks rhetorically. Anakin nods in agreement.

"Good point," he says.

Anakin angles the ship in direction of theirs as it starts to take off. We fly after them for a few moments before Anakin smirks, ramming the shuttle on top of theirs, causing it to jolt. We fly over a fuel yard, that currently has nobody in it, continuing to ram on their vessel. Anakin suddenly gets up from his seat.

"Take over! I'll bring them down!" he tells us.

Ahsoka quickly takes control of the ship and I jump into the front seat once Anakin leaves the ship. He jumps onto the bounty hunters ship and starts to slice at it with his lightsaber. Cad Bane soon comes out and starts shooting at Anakin, while whoever is piloting continues to try and shake us off.

"Hit them again!" I tell Ahsoka.

"I got it, I got it!" she exclaims, bumping into the ship to keep it under us.

"If only our shuttles actually had weapons, then we could easily bring the ship down." I remark in annoyance.

"While Anakin is still on it?" Ahsoka asks me rhetorically. I roll my eyes.

"You know I meant before he jumped out!" I respond.

We continue to follow after them, and then the pilot begins shooting the turrets on the ship, taking out random rock formations ahead of us.

"What is this guy doing?!" I ask in confusion.

"He's crazy!" Ahsoka says back.

We continue to follow after them, making sure to stay above their ship so that they can't fly away from us, and to hopefully ground them if possible. Then to our surprise, after passing under an arch the ship below us moves up in front of us, and Ahsoka gasps in shock, trying to move out of the way in time. Unfortunately the ship hits us, and we go down hard alongside the bounty hunters as Bane and Anakin are thrown off of the ship.

Ahsoka struggles to regain control, but the ship crashes head on into the rocks, and the force of it causes us to slam our heads into the console in front of us, and my vision falls black.

A few moments later I regain consciousness around the same time as Ahsoka, and I press a hand to my forehead, groaning in pain.

"Ahhh... let's not do that again," I mutter painfully.

Ahsoka stumbles on the ships console before regaining her balance. "Yeah, let's not," she says in agreement.

We suddenly widen our eyes when we realize that Anakin is probably out there all alone with bounty hunters against him, and quickly rush outside.

The sounds of a struggle and gun fire can be heard, so we give each other nods before I grab Ahsoka's arm and fling her up the side of the fuel pipes, following after her. We flip and jump up the different ledges, supporting each other on the way, and Ahsoka grabs onto a pipe and flips on top of it perfectly with her agility, and I jump up after her onto the ledge. On the cliff side we see Anakin battling Cad Bane through the fog, and Ahsoka gives me a push over there with the Force before jumping after me. We land on the side of the cliff ledge and start to climb as fast as possible.

We both pul our heads above the ledge and look on in horror as Bane prepares to fire on an unconscious Anakin.

 _"I'll give you a push!"_ I tell her, and she nods, jumping over the ledge towards them. At the same time I use the Force to propel her distance, and she activates her lightsaber with a cry, landing protectively over Anakin and blocking blaster fire.

I climb up the ledge and narrow my eyes angrily when I see Hardeen. With a battle cry, I rush at him and he looks over at me in surprise when I tackle him to the ground, punching his face while I did so. I end up laying on top of him and take out my lightsaber, preparing to finish him off with a jab to the head.

However Rako manages to push my arm of course, although I do manage to leave a small scratch on his left arm, and he cries out in pain before kicking me off of him, where I land next to Ahsoka in a crouch.

We ready our lightsabers defensively while Rako stands next to Bane, holding his arm from the small scratch I gave him.

"The ship is still operational. I got it working!" Eval says, walking up behind them. "Let's get out of here!" he says, running back to the ship.

Bane pockets his gun with a disappointed sigh. "You're lucky we're in a hurry young Jedi," he says, causing us to scowl at him, lightsabers at the ready.

"We'll have to dance another time little lady," he says mockingly, tipping his hat in farewell. I glare at them angrily as they leave, with Rako giving us a spare glance before running off after Bane.

With the danger gone, we deactivate our lightsabers and check on Anakin worriedly.

"Master, Master are you alright?!" Ahsoka asks in concer, helping to support him as he coughs a little bit. The bounty hunters take off as we continue to help Anakin sit up, although its hard.

"What's wrong Master?" I ask him.

"That's why I felt a connection. Obi-Wan is still alive!" Anakin tells us in surprise.

We look at him in shock. "What?!" I ask in surprise.

"I- I don't understand!" Ahsoka says in confusion.

"How is he alive? We say him lifeless with our own eyes!" I exclaim.

"I don't understand either, but we're gonna get to the bottom of this. Believe me," he tells us firmly.

We help support him and eventually make it back to the ship, questions burning through our minds.

* * *

Once we made it back to the ship, we headed through hyperspace back to Coruscant and I immediately pulled up a transmission to Master Yoda and Master Windu when Anakin asked me to. Soon enough, they appeared and explained the situation, which managed to piss the three of us off.

"Are you saying that Obi-Wan has disguised as Rako Hardeen since we arrested him?!" Anakin exclaims angrily.

 _"It was for the purpose of uncovering Moralo Eval's plot to kidnap the Chancellor."_ Master Windu says sternly.

"And you didn't think to let us know about that?!" Anakin demands.

"I almost killed him!" I exclaim angrily. "I actually managed to cut his arm with my lightsaber when he stopped me from cutting up his face with it! Was that part of your master plan?!" I ask, furious with the fact that they kept this from us. Ahsoka and Anakin are glaring with cold eyes, disbelieving at this.

 _"Necessary for this deception, it was. Wrong to prolong the truth however, we were."_ Master Yoda tries to reassure us. I cross my arms angrily and refuse to look at them.

"I was so close to being the first Padawan in thousands of years to kill their Master. This close!" I exclaim, emphasizing it with a hand gesture.

"I can't believe this," Ahsoka mutters.

"Why didn't you tell us you were planning this?" Anakin asks furiously.

 _"A real reaction for the sniper, we needed. Absolutely secrecy, this plan had to be if we wished to uncover Eval's plan."_ Yoda says.

"Well when we get back you're telling us everything that we don't know about your plan." Anakin says coldly. Master Windu attempts to reply to us, but Anakin cuts the transmission before he can, and I slump into my seat, unsure and angry at what to do next.

"Why would they do that?" Ahsoka asks in irritation. "It's like they don't trust us to keep a secret."

"Probably because they don't." Anakin responds angrily.

We don't say anything else on the way back to Coruscant, but we don't need to. We all agree that this trick the Council pulled on us was outrageous, and now we have to play along with it as well, worrying about whether or not Obi-Wan will be fine for this undercover mission.


	36. Chapter 35 - Crisis on Naboo

In the briefing room in the Jedi Temple, all of the Council members, as well as Anakin, Ahsoka and I were gathered around the holoprojector to discuss the plan for protecting the Chancellor during his speech on Naboo from the attack force Dooku had planned.

"As you can see, we've mapped the Chancellor's route to and from the festival stage." Master Windu says. "We'll know where he'll be at every moment from the time we land on Naboo."

"What security measures are in place?" Master Plo asks.

Master Windu presses a button to reveal more sections of the map, highlighted with red dots. "The Naboo Royal Guard will have armed sentries at all entry points on the palace, and the stage itself will be sealed off by a ray shield for the duration of the event," he says, pointing towards the stage.

"I see nothing here to worry about." Anakin admits.

"With complacency, comes vulnerability." Master Yoda warns us. "Yes, it is what we do not see, that concerns me. A long time to plan his attack, Dooku has," he says gravely.

"Yes. We thought we'd have an advantage with Obi-Wan inside, but we haven't had any communication from him in days." Master Windu says. I roll my eyes.

"Probably because there isn't any safe place for him to contact us Master. If he was discovered Count Dooku would be laughing at us by now," I say in irritation. Ahsoka and Anakin nod in agreement.

"Obi-Wan will do his part," Anakin snaps, raising a finger to them. "Let's make sure we do ours."

Anakin storms out of the room in barely concealed anger and annoyance, and I share a worried look with Ahsoka, although neither of us can blame him for being so upset. We glance over to Master Windu and I frown in aggravation when I notice the distrustful stare that he gives while watching Anakin walk away. What right does he have to be distrustful of Anakin, when they've lied to us about Obi-Wan this whole time!?

Ahsoka senses my thoughts and guides me out of the room to ease my temper, much to my relief.

* * *

Later on the next day, we flew one of our shuttles to Naboo, with Master Windu and Anakin as our pilots. With us were me, Ahsoka, two shock troopers, Mas Amedda, and the Chancellor himself. I've never really met him before besides simple greetings or congratulations, but he seemed like a rather pleasant fellow. On the outside he seems like a very caring man who wants what is best for the Republic. However I don't feel like giving him any trust yet due to my natural distaste of politicians who aren't Senator Amidala.

That and the fact of Mas Amedda seeming to glare to everyone as if we were beneath him. Somebody fire him please.

Anyways, we landed the ship in a courtyard, and us four Jedi exited after the others, who were greeted by Senator's Amidala and Organa, and the Naboo Queen.

"Greetings your Majesty," Palpatine said, inclining his head in respect. The Queen followed suit as well.

"Welcome home Chancellor." Padme said warmly. "I'm thankful to the Jedi for bringing you here safely."

"Yes Senator, it is good to be back," he says in agreement. "Although I think the amount of security that has accompanied me is, overkill." Palpatine states, glancing in Master Windu's direction.

"With all due respect Chancellor, where your safety is concerned there is no such thing as overkill," he responds firmly.

"So you keep insisting Master Jedi." Palpatine replies, waving him off. "But I've grown tired of discussing it."

I can't help but smile a little bit about how the Chancellor just completely dissed the stern and scary Jedi Master Windu. The adult characters of the group walk ahead while Padme hangs back to talk to the three of us.

"Anakin, Ahsoka, Jarik, welcome to the festival," she greets us happily. Me and Ahsoka look around the courtyard at all the decorations and happy chatter being set up in slight awe.

"I've never seen the Festival of Light," Ahsoka admits, and I nod in agreement.

"Sounds like big, and very bright event," I remark with a shrug.

"They're expecting a large crowd, which means it'll be difficult for Dooku to attack during the ceremony." Anakin states. "That leaves the palace as the best opportunity for an ambush."

"Are you that certain an attack is imminent?" Padme asks worriedly.

"I'm afraid so," he replies grimly. "Which is why I'm appointing Ahsoka and Jarik to be your personal bodyguards."

"At your service my Lady." Ahsoka says, so polite and formal its crazy.

"What she said," I say with a casual shrug. Ahsoka rolls her eyes.

"If there's trouble, they'll get you, the Queen, and the rest of your staff to safety," he tells all of us.

"What about you?" Padme asks.

"Hopefully, I'll be where I always am," he states confidently.

"Crashing a ship?" I ask teasingly. He looks over his shoulder to glare at me and I throw my hands up in surrender while the two girls giggled.

"He means saving the day." Ahsoka says.

"Of course he does," Padme replied with a smile.

* * *

Later that night, after the main part of the Festival that takes place before the final speech itself, me and Ahsoka were standing by the stands as the Chancellor's procession walked in, along with the Naboo government officials and representatives. They were escorted by shock troopers and senate commando's, everyone standing up in applause for the Chancellor. They all sat down next to where me and Ahsoka were positioned, and soon enough the ray shield was activated.

With the stage protected, Anakin gestured for the Chancellor to move to the podium where he could begin his speech, and the crowd clapped again as he did so.

"It is an honor to be here for this momentous occassion." Palpatine starts happily. "The pride I feel for this planet cannot be put into words. 847 years ago, Naboo joined the Republic. And tonight we celebrate that union!"

Everyone applauded again happily. The Chancellor certainly had a way with words, and so far he speech was going fine. No many signs of greed or false thoughts from what I could tell by his words. To me they seemed genuine, so he couldn't be to bad.

"Take a look around this glorious city of yours. It wasn't long ago this was all plasma mines." Palpatine says. "Naboo has come a long way. But as we chart a bold course for the future, let us never forget our past!"

Palpatine pressed a few buttons on the podium and turned around with arms spread to show off the impressive display of fireworks. The crowd clapped in approval and I admired them for a few moments before a warning in the Force caught my attention.

"Skywalker, the shield generator!" Master Windu shouted.

We all looked over in alarm to see a Parwan bounty hunter stretching his arm through the ray shield towards the generator. Anakin rushed for him, but was too late, as the bounty hunter pressed a button that overloaded the generator, causing it to explode. Anakin flew backwards and Palpatine fell to the ground from the blast, while the crowd gasped in fright and alarm. MAster Windu and two senate commando's headed over to the Chancellor while me and Ahsoka turned to Padme and the others.

"This way your Majesty, hurry!" Ahsoka told them. They all quickly complied, and we both followed after everyone, glancing around to make sure we wouldn't be followed. I kept my lightsaber in my hand just in case.

"You think Anakin or Obi-Wan will save the day?" I ask Ahsoka.

"If I know my Master well enough, it'll probably be Master Obi-Wan," she remarks with a shrug. I nod in agreement.

* * *

The next morning we were all gathered again back in courtyard, with all the craziness over now. Seeing Master Kenobi standing next to me disguised as Rako Hardeen still put a grimace on my face, and I wasn't sure about talking to him just yet. Sure I was glad to know he was alive, but doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Although I would have liked to see Cad Bane's reaction when he revealed himself.

"Once again, you have all distinguished yourselves in the eyes of the Republic." Padme says gratefully. "The people of Naboo, are in your debt."

"It's all part of the job milady." Anakin says with a warm smile to her. She returns it, and I glance between the two of them, getting the feeling more was going on. Eh, whatever. I don't really care anyways. They then turn and walk away to go about their duties. Ahsoka headed with them, while I stayed behind with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

""I'm still not sure I agree with your orders to send the rest of the security detail back to Coruscant." Master Windu says disapprovingly.

"Now that the threat has passed, I think Anakin and Padawan Shan are all the security I need." Palpatine says with a smile, and the two walk ahead. I was a little bit surprised when had heard Palpatine requesting me for security alongside Anakin, but I shrugged it off. Couldn't be too much to think about anyways.

Now however...

"You look like bantha fodder," I remark, summing up Master Kenobi's situation perfectly.

"Yeah," he replies glumly. "Being a criminal is not easy work," he admits.

"If I'd known what was going on, I could have helped you." Anakin says in distain. "Too bad the Council didn't trust me."

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, and besides, I could've helped you more in the secret communications department of your mission Master," I state with a frown.

"Anakin, Jarik, it was my decision to keep the truth from you." Master Kenobi admits, laying a hand on Anakin's shoulder. We both stop, feelings of shock and betrayal running through us as I turned to look at him, utter disbelief etched across my face.

Master Kenobi kept the truth from us? Why!?

"I knew if the two of you were convinced I was dead, then Dooku would've believed it as well," he says. Anakin shrugs Obi-Wan's shoulder off of him and turns around with a cold glare.

"Your decision?" he asks, his voice deadly calm. I continue to stare at Obi-Wan, unsure of what to think.

"Look, I know I did some questionable things but I did what I had to do!" Obi-Wan says in defense. "I only hope you can understand that."

My gaze turns cold at Obi-Wan's words. It's almost as if he's sorry that we were in pain, but he doesn't regret lying about it...

"You lied to me! How many other lies have I been told by the Council?!" Anakin exclaims furiously. He then shoves a finger in his face. "And how do you even know if you have the whole truth?!"

Anakin storms away while I just sit there, completely numb. Obi-Wan sighs sadly.

"Why did you lie to us?" I ask softly, and he turns to face me. I look up at him, my gaze hard. "You could have told us after we returned to the Temple that night!"

"Jarik, I did it to remain undercover, and-"

"I don't care about your secret identity mission!" I exclaim furiously. "I almost killed you on Orondia! How do you think that would make me feel when I realized I killed my own Master?!"

"That wasn't supposed to happen in the first place-" he tries to defend himself.

"Because the Council told us not to?" I retort back, a fleck of gold filtering through my eyes. "My whole life I've admired being a Jedi, and what we stand for as keepers of the peace, protectors of the innocent!" I tell him. "HOw am I supposed to feel when the head of the Order I would gladly give my life for doesn't trust me to keep your secret identity?! I'm not just going to sit back while the murderer of my Master is free to roam the galaxy with an evil mastermind!"

"Jarik-" Obi-Wan tries to say again.

"No! I don't want to hear it! So much of this secrecy crap was unnecessary! The only reason I stayed sane during the time I believed you to be dead was because of Ahsoka and Anakin! Not the Council's words!"

With that being said, I turned around a strode away from Obi-Wan, angrily wiping a tear from my eye as the feelings of betrayal and hurt continued to pour through me. How could I serve an Order to protect the galaxy, when said Order can't even trust its own people?

* * *

During the evening, Anakin and I were escorting the Chancellor through the hals in the direction of the dining room for some sort of dinner. After my clash with Obi-Wan, I spent some time alone in the temporary quarters me and Ahsoka were given for our stay here, doing my best to calm myself down. Some meditation helped me a little bit, but I'm starting to feel like me and Ahsoka have reached a point where we can only heal our deepest pains when we're together to share over our bond. Ahsoka had been busy with Padme al day, which was fine. I didn't need soothing to desparately, and neither did Ahsoka, although I could feel her disbelief and anger over the bond when Anakin had relayed Obi-Wan's deception to her.

"So, Jarik Shan is it?" Palpatine asks me kindly. I nod my head.

"Yes Chancellor." I reply politely.

"It occured to me that I've never taken the time to get to know you as well as I would've liked, with you being Master Kenobi's Padawan after all," he says.

So that's why he asked me for extra security. Fine with me.

"That's very kind of you Chancellor," I tell him.

"Ahh, it's nice to see a young boy with kind words." Palpatine says. Anakin gives off a small chuckle.

"Believe me your excellency, Jarik can be quite the jokester when he's around close friends," he says.

I roll my eyes in exasperation. "You're one to talk Master Skywalker," I retort.

Palpatine lets off a kind laugh of amusement. "Oh I have no doubt about that my boy. Your reputation across the holonet has certainly made light of that fact." Palpatine states.

"Of course it has," I respond with a small smile.

"Well, as of tonight, we will leave as soon as Queen Neeyutnee's banquet is over." Palpatine informs us. "I also want to say goodbye to Senator Amidala. She has been a very, gracious host."

"Hmm, Padme didn't mention a banquet to me." Anakin says.

"Perhaps she meant it as a surprise!" Palpatine assures him. I think back and frown a little when I think about whether or not I had heard any news about a banquet. Well, I was cooped up in my room for most of the day, so I probably missed the announcement.

"I must say, the great lengths the Jedi go to is nothing short of incredible," he praises. "I assume to brilliant plan to disguise Obi-Wan Kenobi, was yours," he assumes.

I grimace slightly at the reminder of how the Council and Master Kenobi lied to us.

"No, it wasn't sir. We were in the dark as much as you were." Anakin informs him bitterly.

"Kind of irritating to learn they kept that secret," I remark.

"Really? Interesting." Palpatine says in slight surprise. "I was under the assumption that the Jedi always worked as a team."

"Not all the time unfortunately," I respond.

When we open the door however, we were greeted with the sight of Count Dooku himself sitting at the end of the dining room, a devious smirk on his face.

"Welcome!" he says gleefully.

The three of us look around in alarm as two Magna Guards pop out of hiding, activating their electrostaffs.

"My gracious, its a trap!" Palpatine exclaims.

"Chancellor, stay back!" Anakin orders, shoving him away. One of the guards shocks him slightly on the shoulder as I pull out my lightsaber, but to his credit he barely flinches, just glares at the guards before turning his attention to Dooku.

"You should've quit while you were still alive Dooku!" he says, pointing a finger at him.

"Fighting off the entire Jedi security force would have been difficult," he says, standing up from his seat. "But now that they are gone..."

Dooku ignites his lightsaber, the red glow reflecting evilly across his face. "Defeating you and Shan will be an easy task!" he says darkly.

I scowl and ready my lightsaber as the first droid goes on attack. I block its strike and retaliate, easily slipping under its guard to slice off one of its arms. However to droid easily picks up his staff in the other arm and swings at me, but I lean to the side and twirl around, decapitating it. I look over to see Anakin holding the fist of the other droid in his mechanical, who looks at him in surprise before being cut apart.

"Chancellor, get out of here!" I tell him as we ready our lightsabers in Dooku's direction.

"Good idea," he replies in a rush, heading towards the door.

Me and Anakin jump on the table and run towards Dooku, and Anakin strikes first. He flips off the table and lashes out, although Dooku blocks it, and I attack next. I swing my saber at Dooku's skull, and he leans out of the way before jabbing in my direction. I jump out of the way and land on the floor beside Anakin.

We go on the offensive, swinging our blue blades at Dooku, who expertly blocked our attacks with his Makashi form. He twirled my saber and struck vertically, catching my blade near Dooku's head while Anakin swung for his body. Dooku moved his blade to catch Anakin's alongside mine before he sent us back with a force push.

I manage to come to a stop a couple feet behind Anakin when Dooku starts to throw chairs in our direction. Anakin shoves the first to the side, and I slice it apart while he cuts the next chair in half. Dooku then switches tactics, throwing cutlery and silverware instead. I just barely managed to dodge the knives and forks that fling past me, and I follow their path with wide eyes. Anakin isn't so lucky, getting hit by two forks. Luckily they were in his mechanical hand and he swiftly pulls them out before charging at Dooku.

Dooku manages to block him in time with a chair, but Anakin presses on relentlessly, forcing Dooku against a wall as I move forwards, intending to strike at him. Before I can however, Anakin goes flying back into me, and I fall onto the ground while he hits the column hard.

Fortunately I manage to get up with a groan and reactivate my lightsaber with a Makashi salute, while Anakin stands back up, a determined look on his face. Dooku reignites his saber with a short breath, and I can't help but smirk.

"Looks like you're getting tired in your old age Count," I say mockingly. Anakin grins in amusement while Dooku glares at me, not pleased. We then rush for him, our lightsabers coming down in a vertical strike, but Dooku still blocks it with one hand, and throws us a confident smirk.

Another Magna Guard continues to pull the Chancellor down the hallway, and Dooku stands in front of them, blocking our way. Me and Anakin continue to rush forwards, sending off quick attacks in the hope of wearing down Dooku's defenses. Anakin moves forward with a few powerful strikes, before backing off. I take that opportunity to flip through the air and swipe at him in hopes of catching Dooku by surprise, but I remain unlucky as Dooku just leans to the side out of the way of my strike. He then swipes his blade at me and I go on the defensive, blocking his strikes to my chest and head before Anakin takes charge again.

Anakin attacks ferociously, and Dooku shoves him back with a grunt. I move forward to attack his unprotected side, but Dooku holds his hand in my direction and flings me far away, and I crash into a column with a grunt.

However this provided Anakin the opportunity to gain the upperhand, and he kicks Dooku into the staircase before hammering on his blade fiercely. As I get up, I watch Anakin push down on his lightsaber harder, and then grab Dooku's throat as well. I widen my eyes in surprise, not expecting a move like that from Anakin. My surprises doesn't let me notice the smirk Palpatine gives as he views that.

Unfortunately Dooku recovers, and shocks Anakin with a huge burst of force lightning, throwing him away to crash into several pillars. I immediately charge at Dooku with my saber raises, but he does the same to me. I cry out in pain from the lightning before getting thrown into a column once again, and kneel on the floor on my hands and knees, breathing heavily and grimacing in pain.

To our surprise, Master Kenobi suddenly rushes up to us in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Come on!" Anakin says. I'm just grateful he's here after all.

We rush in the direction Dooku and the Chancellor headed to and come outside to see them boarding a shuttle. Anakin immediatey leaps into action with Obi-Wan not far behind, and I move past the combatants to slice apart the droid holding the Chancellor. I then take Palpatine's arm around my shoulders and jump down back to the palace gently, Obi-Wan and Anakin soon following.

"Well done Master Kenobi. You are a worthy adversary!" Dooku compliments him. "I cannot say the same about your young apprentice, both former and current!"

We glare at him as his ship flies away, and then Padme and a few security guards rush over to us.

"Chancellor! Are you alright?" Padme asks in concern.

"Yes, thanks again to the heroics of the Jedi," he says in relief. "That's the second time today."

"We, specialize in heroics Chancellor." Obi-Wan says.

"And in gross appearances," I mutter.

"What was that Jarik?" Master Kenobi asks me with a raised brow.

"Nothing!" I claim.

"As long as I live, no harm will ever come to you." Anakin told the Chancellor.

"Well, here's to your long and prosperous life Anakin." Palpatine says with a smile. "One shudders to think where the galaxy would be without the Jedi."

With those words, we head back inside the palace to prepare for our journey back to Coruscant, this kidnapping plot finally concluded.


	37. Chapter 36 - A Clear Purpose

A couple of weeks have passed since the crisis on Naboo and fake death of Master Kenobi. Over that time I've slowly started to talk to Master Kenobi again, but I'm still slightly bitter about the fact that he lied to us, so most of our interaction is mainly on a professional teaching basis. While it was getting better, I wasn't ready yet to go back to being 100% friendly with each other, and I could tell Anakin wasn't either.

It also didn't help that my visions with Darth Revan were only getting worse as they went on, like the one that's happening right now.

 _The shadowy landscape once again surrounded me, and I grimaced, bracing myself for what was once again going to be another contest of will between me and the ancient Sith Lord. Sure enough, he appeared out of the smoke, clad in his full crimson and black armor and cloak._

 ** _"Welcome_** _ **back,"** he says under false greetings._

 _I cross my arms in irritation. "I don't have much choice in these meetings do I?" I ask rhetorically._

 _He gives off a small chuckle. **"No, not really apprentice."** he says._

 _"How many times must I tell you that I will never join the Dark Side with you, or betray the Jedi and the Republic?" I say heatedly._

 ** _"I must admit your resistance to ignoring these truths is admirable, so that is why I will give you a test,"_** _he says, circling around my tense form. I raise an eyebrow in surprise._

 _"Test?" I ask in confusion. I narrow my eyes. "What kind of test?"_

 _Darth Revan stops in front of me, his back facing towards me as he stands there in thought._

 ** _"A test to see if you are worthy of joining the Dark Side,"_** _he states._

 _I stand there in confusion, unsure of what he could possibly be trying to do with me when I let off a yelp of surprise. Darth Revan had turned around like a lightning bolt with a crimson colored saber raised high in an attempt to kill me!_

 _I just barely leaped out of the way and he charged in my direction, forcing me to scramble away out of his reach until I could finally refocus. I roll backwards into a standing up position and pull out my lightsaber, blocking Darth's blade just inches from my face, and he presses down on my with so much power I'm forced to my knees._

 ** _"Prove you are worthy of the Dark Side or_** _ **perish!"** he exclaims._ _I grimace with a fearful expression on my face before I manage to push back and leap to the side again._

 _I turn around and Darth Revan charges, swinging his lightsaber at me aggressively and almost too fast for me to react. I just barely keep him at bay, using all of my skills in Makashi to either deflect or move out of the way of his lightsaber. I deflect his crimson blade again and again, never having any time to counter attack when he stops, raising his hand._

 _Cold-blue lightning streams for his fingertips and hits me dead on. I'm flung backwards with a cry of pain, and convulse on the ground for a moment before getting back up. He fires lightning again, and I manage to catch the majority of it on my blade, the extra bits striking around me with loud sparks._

 ** _"Show me your_** _**power!"** he says, continuing his barrage. I'm already taxed and exhausted from this duel. Sure, I am a Temple prodigy in Makashi, but I'm still a Padawan, and facing off against a fully fledged Master of the Dark Side!_

 _Finally, I manage to slip away from his lightning barrage, and take the moment to recover. I watch as Darth Revan lowers his hand, extinguishing the lightning before pulling out a second lightsaber, which ignites to reveal a cold and dark purple. I swallow nervously._

 _Darth Revan charges at me now with two sabers, and raise my blade in a defensive position. He swings at me furiously with great speed, and I have to keep dodging and leaping out of the way of his attacks, his strength being able to easily overpower me. He suddenly jabs his lightsabers forwards, and I manage to get my blade under them and direct them upwards, but he takes that opportunity to shove me back with a powerful force push when his hands are level with me._

 _I'm sent flying across the ground, and my lightsaber falls from my grip. I lay there, gasping in pain as Darth Revan walks up to me, deactivating his lightsabers._

 _ **"Pathetic,"** he says in disappointment. **"Your Jedi training leaves you weak, restricted. You don't know the Force like I do!"**_

 _He suddenly thrusts his hands forward, and lightning streams from his fingertips over to me. I scream in pain as he continues to electrocute me._

 _ **"Your Jedi Order is a failure! They are arrogant, weak and corrupt! And you're no better!"** Darth Revan exclaims angrily. He then lets up on his Force lightning and I lay there, grimacing in pain and exhaustion._

 _ **"Because of that, your destiny is over here and now."** he says promisingly._

 _I slowly open my eyes painfully. And look up at Darth Revan, who is preparing to shock me again. I look to my side for anything desperately to help myself, and then see it again._

 _The same white and green convor sits on a branch a few feet away from me, staring at me with unblinking eyes. In the shadows beyond it I then see vague glimpses of Bastila, Light Side Revan, and a woman who holds a strong resemblance to Bastila, but carries a double bladed lightsaber on her belt._

 _I feel a sense of understanding and look back at Darth Revan, who thrusts his hands forward._

 _To his surprise, I catch the lightning with both my hands, absorbing it as I slowly get up. He backs away in shock and confusion._

 _ **"What? That's not possible... you're a Padawan!"** he says angrily._

 _"You're right," I tell him. "Maybe the Jedi have changed negatively over the years, but there is still hope for the future."_

 _He growls and sends lightning at me again, but I hold my hands out and create a Force shield, blocking the lightning._

 _"How that hope will come to pass, I do not know," I admit with a shrug. "But it surely won't be through the Dark Side!"_

 _Darth Revan yells furiously, and then the landscape goes completely white, blinding me in a bright light and I fall unconscious._

I wake up from my bed, gasping in shock. What the heck just happened? That vision was so much different than anything else I've ever witnessed. However now I feel as if something has changed in me. I feel more clear, more knowledgeable of how I should be as a Jedi.

Master Kenobi then walks into the room and observes my state. His beard has already grown back fairly well, so he's back to normal basically. He takes notice If my state with curiosity.

"Everything alright Jarik?" he asks me with some concern. I nod slowly, looking at him.

"Yeah, it's just... I think I overpowered Darth Revan," I tell him honestly.

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. He already knew of the visions I continued to receive from Darth Revan and had done his best over the months to help me make sense of them.

"Really? Are you sure?" he asks me.

"I think so. My mind feels so much clearer now, with a purpose." I hen give off a relieved smile. "I don't think I'll be tempted by Darth Revan anymore."

Master Kenobi smiles proudly at me. "That's good. It seems as if you've overcome your temptation then my young apprentice."

I nod in agreement. Things were certainly starting to look up. How the future went however I wa sunsure of.


	38. Chapter 37 - Revenge

**Jarik POV...**

I shivered involuntarily. It wasn't from cold air, or some weird goosebumps or a weird substance splattered all over me from one of Ahsoka's pranks a while ago. The Force felt... dark... sinister. For some time the dark side has seemingly begun to increase in power, although from what I wasn't sure. What was even more surprising was that barely any other Jedi could sense it. The only ones who seemed to feel this presence were Anakin, Master Kenobi, and Master Yoda. The only reason Ahsoka knew something was wrong was that she could feel it through our bond, although she wasn't receiving the warnings herself.

When I finally overcame Darth Revan's presence in my head, I was joyful, along with Master Kenobi and Ahsoka. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders as I now had a clearer purpose. But when this chill flowed through the Force, I was afriad. At first I thought it was Darth Revan's presence returning, but upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn't. Although this didn't bring me much relief, as the presence still felt familiar.

"Master Yoda?" Master Kenobi asks in concern.

Ah yes. We were recently summoned by Master Yoda to his quarters, for whatever reason. I had a hunch it was about the disturbance in the Force I felt.

"Feel the disturbance in the Force, do you?" Yoda asks us.

"Yes Master," Master Kenobi replies.

"Feel you are in danger, I do, Obi-Wan. And soon to be, you as well, Padawan Shan." Master Yoda says gravely. We look at each other worriedly.

Master Yoda continues. "From the dead, an old enemy has awakened. Seeking, vengeance."

Master Kenobi moves closer to the window and I begin to rub my arms nervously, feeling a sense of cold draping itself over me.

"An old enemy?" Master Kenobi asks.

Master Yoda opens his eyes. "Killed your master, many moons ago he did."

Me and Obi-Wan widen our eyes in surprise, and the Force then shows me a brief flash of someone, covered in red and black tattoos with horns on his head. A Sith Zabrak.

"How can this be?" I killed him myself!" Master Kenobi exclaims in shock.

"It is so, I fear." Master Yoda says grimly.

"Darth Maul, alive?" Master Kenobi says in fearful concern, stroking his beard in thought.

I remember more now. Darth Maul killed Master Jiinn, Obi-Wan's former Master during the blockade of Naboo when me and Ahsoka were around four years old. We had already been at the Temple for approximately a year during that time. While I do know that Qui-Gon brought me to the Temple, I couldn't remember much about anything before that, just that I was given up by my parents for some reason.

And I had a feeling that reason was going to reveal itself very soon.

* * *

Later in the week, I was with Master Kenobi, Master Windu and Master Yoda in the briefing room. Master Mundi and Master Plo were there via hologram as well, and we were currently watching a message that filled me with dread. Darth Maul stood there on robotic legs, his lower half having been cut off by Master Kenobi years ago. And lined up in a row next to him were innocent people, clearly afraid.

 _"There will be more innocent blood on your hands Kenobi, unless you come here, face me!"_ he snarled angrily, glaring at the screen. Obi-Wan watched with sadness and horror in his eyes as he stroked his beard to keep his composure.

 _"Come alone, and if not..."_ Maul says, activating his lightsaber. I widen my eyes in horror as he decapitates the people on screen, and they fall over in a row. I force myself to look away and swallow nervously.

 _"This world, will burn!"_ Maul promises with hateful, wild eyes.

Master Windu stops the hologram on Maul as Obi-Wan closes his eyes in sorrow, his mind already made up. "I have to go," he says.

"Not alone your not. We'll send a task force with you." Master Windu says firmly. I nod in agreement. No way am I losing Master Kenobi again so soon.

"No. You see what he's capable of. He's a broken, unbalanced monster." Master Kenobi says firmly. "I've dealt with him before. I can do it again."

"I disagree. This is clearly a trap." Master Windu responds in approval.

"Against my better judgement, agree with Master Kenobi, I do." Master Yoda says, causing us to look at him in surprise. "Finish what he started long ago, Obi-Wan must."

"I'm off to Raydonia," he says, preparing to exit the room.

"Master, at least take me with you." I say quickly. He shakes his head in disagreement.

"No Jarik. You aren't yet ready to take on the likes of Darth Maul," he tells me.

"But I've faced Count Dooku before! What about that?" I plead desperately, not seeing his point.

"Your battles against Dooku were not planned, and Anakin was there both times to help you in the battles against him." Obi-Wan tells me sternly.

"What about Grievous then? That was planned," I retort irritably.

"Maul is a much greater adversary then Grievous. I must face him alone," he replies firmly, refusing to let me go.

"But-" I try to say.

"Stay here Jarik," he orders me. I sigh in frustration but nod reluctantly.

"Yes master," I say grimly in disappointment and irritation.

Satisfied, Master Kenobi walks off to the hangers while I stand there, frustrated that he feels the need to pull the "do it alone" hero moment. Why won't he let me help him against Maul? I've fought Grievous and Dooku!

Master Yoda hobbles over to me and looks up. "Follow him, I believe you should," he tells me.

I look down at him in stunned surprise. "Wait, for real?" I ask dumbly.

He nods. "Face your demons I this mission, I believe you will. Overcome it you must," he tells me. I look at him in confusion, wondering what exactly he means by that but shrug and head off to my starfighter.

"Thank you Master," I tell him gratefully, rushing off to the hanger as Master Windu begins to talk with Master Yoda. Iraise my wrist-com to my head and contact R5.

"Hey, dude. Get the ship ready, we're going on a trip," I tell him. He beeps back at me in confusion and annoyance.

"Don't use that tone with me, we're going regardless. Master Yoda's orders." I say firmly.

I hear the equivalent of a sigh on his head as he reluctantly agrees. Not even R5 would go against the wishes of the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.

* * *

I exit out of hyperspace just out of orbit from the planet. In the distance ahead of me and see the speck that is Master Kenobi's shuttle, just far enough to where he can't see me. R5 grumbles at me from outside the cockpit window and I roll my eyes.

"Knock it off. You won't even be in any trouble. All I'm doing is making sure that Master Kenobi doesn't get himself into trouble." I tell R5 in exasperation.

He beeps at me again and I give off a sigh. "Fine. Once this is over, I'll see if I can get Ahsoka to give you an oil bath."

R5 beeps in smug satisfaction and I shake my head in fond annoyance at my droid. I guide the ship through the atmosphere, following after Master Kenobi, but shiver a little bit. The Force feels dark here, and full of anguish. I then widen my eyes in horror as I see a massive plume of smoke in the distance, no doubt because of Darth Maul trying to draw Obi-Wan here.

Master Kenobi lands in front of the village, so I take the safer route, heading over to land in the forest surrounding it, staying out of sight. I power the ship down and open the cockpit, mentally preparing myself for the inevitable battle with Darth Maul. R5 beeps at me again worriedly, and I turn to him.

"R5, stay with the ship. At the first sign of trouble, get out as fast as you can, then com me. Ok?" I tell him. He beeps in agreement.

"Just don't ignore me when I call for you," I say warningly, and he beeps innocently.

I then start my short trek through the jungle in the direction of the village. Once I get there, I"m horrified to see the place on fire. What sickens me is the fact that it looks like a ghost town. No noise can be heard besides the crackling of the flames, and bodies litter the streets. I force down the emotion I'm feeling and call upon the Force to steel myself. I can't get distracted by this.

All of a sudden, I hear a voice boom in the distance, sounding like Darth Maul, and then Master Kenobi's voice soon after. I can't hear them yet, so I press forward sneaking around the buildings. The sounds of battle then catch my attention and I hurry forward in worry, doing my best to keep my presence in the Force shielded. But I'm too late.

By the time I make it to the sight, I witness Master Kenobi get knocked out by a tall Zabrak, colored yellow instead of red, and Maul snarls at Master Kenobi's unconscious form.

I quickly hide back behind a building and internally curse. There were two of them? What did Obi-Wan get mixed into this time! I wanted to go and save Master Kenobi, but I'm not stupid. I'd get slaughtered the moment they saw me, so I'd have to play this smart. I peek out again and get my first good look at the two Sith.

Maul stands there on his robotic legs, and flashes of memories suddenly shoot through my mind, causing me to jerk in surprise.

 _Mother... what happened!?_

 _RUN!_

I brought out of my memories and see Maul stiffen before turning to look in my direction. I quickly move behind the building again and shield myself with all the Force knowledge I know, but I can hear him approaching. I look around quickly for a place to hide from the Sith Lord.

Maul turns around the corner and gazes suspiciously at the area with narrowed eyes, trying to detect whatever it was he felt through the Force. He stays there for a few moments before heading back with his friend, and the two begin to drag Master Kenobi back to their ship.

I let out a sigh of relief, glad he never thought to look up and see me hanging off in between the window shutters. Why do the bad guys never look up?!

I silently drop to the ground and take my lightsaber in hand, following the two Sith through the forest. My best bet for this would be to wait until Master Kenobi wakes up in order to combat the two Sith. I would have to figure out a way to snag his lightsaber away from Maul, otherwise we'd have no chance. Just perfect. I then take a good look at the yellow Zabrak, and quickly realize who this person is. Savage Opress, the person that Obi-Wan and Anakin were tracking down a few months back. Guess the two are old buddies, or family, or whatever the heck they are, I don't care.

To my great frustration, the two entered theirship with Obi-Wan in tow before I could sneak aboard, and I give off a silent curse. Now I'd have to sneak aboard the ship without making any noise, which would be very hard with the door closed.

Before I could come up with any sort of plan, a curved lightsaber is suddenly held to my neck from behind, and I freeze in surprise.

"Don't move Jedi," a feminine voice whispers. I glance back and notice the pale skin and purple markings, making my eyes widen in recognition.

"Asajj Ventress?!" I whisper in shock. "I thought you were dead!"

I'd never met Ventress before, but I'd heard plenty about her from Master Kenobi, Anakin, and Ahsoka. Oh did Ahsoka have a lot to say about her. Like a freaking hairless harpy. From what I know, she died in battle on board a Separatist cruiser after a duel with Anakin and Obi-Wan. Clearly not, and she was now wearing... bounty hunter clothes?!

"That's right. What are you doing here?" she demands, holding the saber to my neck.

"Figuring out how to rescue Master Kenobi..." I reply hesitantly, not knowing what else to do in this situation.

To my surprise, her eyes light up in interest and amusement.

"Really? So that must make you his Padawan, Jarik Shan," she says.

I glance at her suspiciously, still not daring to move. "How do you know me?"

"Oh, the Slicer isn't very easy to miss on the holonet my dear. Also, Skywalker's pet happened to mention how both she and you could, what was it? Kick my hairless head into oblivion?!" she says the last part harshly, and I bite back a small laugh. That's definitely something Ahsoka would say.

"So why are you here then?" I ask slowly.

"At first it was to pick up a bounty on my former servant, but seeing as how they are two of them, I may need some help," she tells me, still holding the lightsaber to my neck.

"I'm not helping you until I rescue Master Kenobi," I retort.

She sighs and removes the saber from my neck, much to my surprise.

"Oh young fool, our targets are the same. My servant happened to be the Savage Opress," she says in annoyance.

I then realize what she meant, but I'm still suspicious of her. "How do I know you won't just kill me and Obi-Wan if you have the chance?"

She lets off a wicked laugh of amusement. "If I wanted to kill you I would have done it instead of holding my lightsaber to your neck, with how blind you were."

I bite back a retort and then sigh in acceptance. "Alright, you have a point there."

The cargo ship then begins to power up, and the thrusters activate, lifting it into the air.

"Think what you want, our prize is getting away Padawan," she says, activating her lightsabers and rushing after the ship that's taking off. I consider my options but then shrug. Not like I have a better option really.

I activate my lightsaber as well and run underneath the ship after her. She flips up the side with amazing speed and agility that makes me glare in frustration. I'm not that fancy! I then use the Force to propel myself up the ship, jabbing my saber into part of it to secure myself before jumping up again, slipping through the hatch Ventress used just milliseconds before it closes. I deactivate my lightsaber and Ventress stands there smirking at me, a hand on her hip."You actually made it. Well done," she says. I can't tell if she's mocking me or is actually genuinely impressed.

"Oh ye of little faith. Now lets find Obi-Wan and possibly take down Maul and your bounty," I say firmly.

She waves her hand and begins to walk down the corridor, and I follow after her. Eventually we then come into the main hold, where Maul is holding the saber to Master Kenobi's neck. My eyes widen in surprise and I'm ready to rush out, but Ventress stops me.

"Stay back, I've got this," she hisses.

I look at her warily but nod, and hide behind the wall while she steps out in full view.

"What a surprise!" she says happily, and the two Sith look at her in shock and anger, not expecting anyone else to be here.

"My former servant, still an animal. And you have a friend now!" Ventress says, pretending to be interested.

"My brother," Savage states. Well that answers that question.

"A brother!" she responds in mock surprise and wonder. "Look's like he's half the man you are Savage," she taunts, and I hold back a laugh. What a burn!

"How unfortunate. I was looking for a challenge! Not some wretched cast offs from the Nightbrothers clan," she says, slinking into the shadows. "What a disappointment."

She then releases a laugh that sends shivers down my spine. It seems to echo around the entire room, making it hard to pinpoint where she actually is. I would be even more terrified if she wasn't on my side. The the door to the cockpit closes, but I can still see Ventress in the room. What a genius.

Apparently her trick worked, as the brothers quickly rush up to the cockpit with their lightsabers activated, although Maul knocked Obi-Wan unconscious in the process. Seeing my chance, I leap down and rush over to Obi-Wan's side, Ventress not far behind.

"Master? Master wake up!" I whisper furiously, shaking him a little bit. Ventress then leans down and slaps him hard on the face, and I glare at her.

"What? He's waking up," she retorts.

Sure enough the slap did the trick and he opens his eyes to view me.

"Jarik?" he asks in surprise. His gaze then shifts to Ventress, and his eyes widen in surprise even more. "Ventress?!"

"It looks like I'm here to rescue you," she tells him.

I cough into my hand and she stares at me in annoyance. "WE, came to rescue you."

"Hmm hmm," I say in agreement.

"When did you become the good guy?" Obi-Wan asks as he gets up, rubbing his jaw.

"Don't insult me!" Ventress replies in exasperation.

"I have no idea Master." I tell him.

"Well, it's certainly a lovely sight to wake up to," he says, causing me to grin in amusement.

"Don't flatter yourself Kenobi you've never been much to look at. Especially now." Ventress retorts.

"A witch and two Jedi!" Savage suddenly booms, and we look up at him warily. He glares down at the three of us angrily.

"Here, for our taking." Maul suddenly says behind us, activating his lightsaber.

Ventress then takes one of her blades and hands it to Obi-Wan, who snatches it with a grin.

"I want that back!" she threatens him.

"That's fine. Red's not my color," he replies with a smirk.

We all stand in a circle and activate our lightsabers, holding them defensively in front of us.

"Ready?" Master Kenobi asks.

"Like you even have to ask," she replies.

"Yeah, I'm ready to dull their horns to little nubs," I say with a confident smirk, getting into a Makashi pose. Maul leaps down and Obi-Wan rushes forward to meet him, where they trade blows with their lightsabers. There's so much red in the room its ridiculous. I'm the only one with blue!

Savage then jumps down, his saberstaff activated and me as he charges for me and Ventress. He swings at us, and we block his attack. After a few blows were traded, I quickly realize that while Savage is very strong, he has no lightsaber Form at all, meaning most of his attacks will be random.

Using this knowledge to my advantage, I manage to deflect his strikes away from me. His strength easily makes up for the lack of form, which means going by a contest of physical power against him would not end well for me at all.

I twirl my blade around I knock his away, causing him to lash out at Ventress. She leaps out of the way nimbly, and Savage returns his focus to me. I duck underneath his strike and roll to the side when he tries to kick me. Ventress than leaps into action, kicking and punching him in quick succession. Unfortunately he manages to dodge one of her punches and strikes his fist on her back, knocking her into some boxes, where she loses her grip on her lightsaber. He then throws her across the room before focusing on me.

I swing my saber at him in quick precise strikes, and he blocks them like an impenetrable shield. He swings his saberstaff at me, and I flip over him easily. A box then flies at his back and Ventress leaps onto his shoulders, grabbing his horns and punching him in the face. Annoyed, Savage throws her to the ground but she quickly recovers, rolling underneath his legs. She continues her assault on him with her fists, and he swings at her, slicing a box when I come in.

I strike hard, and he blocks my attack while getting kicked in the side at the same time. Angry, he growls like an animal and punches Ventress in the chest before swinging wildly at me. I duck and weave out of the way of his attacks before twirling out of the way of one of his stabs, swinging my lightsaber at his unprotected back. Unfortunately he catches my blade on the other end of his saberstaff just in time before kicking me away.

I go flying into a crate as he refocuses on Ventress, angry and annoyed at her continued pestering and painful strikes.

I shake my head and look up to see Master Kenobi toss Ventress her other saber, having just reacquired his own, much to my relief. Ventress blocks Savage's blade just in time, but is forced onto her knees from his brute strength. I leap forwards, reactivating my saber quickly. Savage looks up in surprise and just barely blocks my lightsaber, giving Ventress the opportunity to recover and rush him as well. Surprisingly, we manage to push Savage back a little bit due to our very fast attacks, while his are powerful but slower than ours. Also, our use of Makashi gives us the skillful advantage.

Ventress's version is... wow, I won't say it. But it is effective.

I then glance up and notice that Maul has cornered Obi-Wan, who is on the ground.

"Think you can handle the big guy?" I quickly ask Ventress.

She backpedals and glares at me. "Are you doubting my ability?"

I take that as a yes and pull away to head over to Obi-Wan and Maul. I leap upwards and swing off of a metal pole just as Maul kicks Obi-Wan off the ledge.

Maul barely has any time to react when my feet suddenly slam into his face, knocking him back into the wall. I land where he stood before, in a battle ready position with a smirk on my face.

"What? You didn't see that coming?" I say tauntingly.

He growls angrily at me, about to attack before he stops. His eyes gaze at me before the widen in recognition. He then begins to chuckle in dark amusement, causing me to look at him in confusion. I glance down to see Obi-Wan and Ventress battling Savage before refocusing on Maul.

"So we meet again young Shan!" he says gleefully.

I widen my eyes in surprise. "What? How do you know who I am? I've never met you!"

He smirks devilishly at me. "Oh but we have boy. Or do you not remember?" he asks in mock sadness. I glare at him, still not understanding what he's talking about.

"Then let me remind you," he says gleefully. "I killed your parents as they foolishly tried to flee from me, with you in tow!"

I freeze in shock and my eyes widen as a lost memory suddenly flood my mind, leaving nothing else for me to think.

 _I'm held in my mother's arms as she runs through the field. My father's voice yells after us._

 _"Take our son Lara! Save him!" he cries out._

 _Memory moves forwards to see my mother stabbed through the heart by a blood red lightsaber. She falls to the ground to reveal Maul standing in front of her, his eyes an evil yellow._

I gasp in horror and recognition, and look at Maul in shock.

"You... you were there...!" I whisper in horror.

He only smirks at me wickedly, taunting me.

My vision suddenly goes red and I glare hatefully at him, my eyes flickering a bright gold as I rush at Maul in blind anger. I attack viciously, swinging my lightsaber as fast and as hard as I can, but Maul easily gets out of the way, further angering me. This Sith killed my parents! Left me an orphan with no family! HE NEEDS TO DIE!

Maul suddenly moves out of the way and kicks me in the back with his robotic leg hard. I'm sent flying to the ground below beside Obi-Wan and Ventress. I groan in pain as my rage subsides due to the pain that resulted from that kick. Obi-Wan helps me up before turning to Ventress.

"We're outmatched," he states.

"You want to run?" she asks.

"I learned from watching you!" he retorts.

"Funny! The cockpit?" she suggests.

With a growl, Maul leaps down and we switch places, Ventress dueling him while me and Obi-Wan face Savage. I roll underneath his guard and rush towards the door, Master Kenobi quickly maneuvering himself to come to me as well. I open the door and Obi-Wan waves to Ventress.

"Come on, come on!" he shouts.

Ventress kicks Maul in the face and then leaps over Savage, assisted by Obi-Wan with the Force. We rush in the door and Ventress closes it just as Maul gets there. He stabs his lightsaber through the door, Svage following suit as Master Kenobi heads to the controls.

"Hurry Kenobi!" Ventress says.

He continues to fiddle with the terminal more and we grow agitated.

"Master! Detach the cockpit!" I yell back.

"Working on it!" he replies.

"Now would be a good time!" Ventress yells.

"Come on!" Obi-Wan shouts, slamming his hand on the panel. The cockpit detaches, shooting off into space and I let off a sigh of relief.

"That was cutting it, a little close." Ventress states.

"You do know it's not over," Obi-Wan replies.

"I know." Ventress says grimly.

"They'll be after all three of us now." Obi-Wan says.

I sit down in the corner of the pod and pull my legs up to my chest, hugging myself. Lost memories of that night suddenly rush through my mind, and I can now remember everything. I silently sob into my arms, covering my face while Obi-Wan glances at me worriedly.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Darth Maul sat in thought in his chair by the viewport, gazing off into space. So he finally came face to face with the little wretch from all those years ago. When his Master discovered a living descendant of the line of Revan himself, he was very intrigued, and ordered Maul to capture the Force sensitive child for the Sith. Maul was equally surprised, having heard of the legends of Darth Revan from Lord Sidious and Lord Plagues before his Master killed him. Yet he was also threatened by his potential.

Maul had a feeling that Sidious would dispose of him once the wretch had grown up, seeing a descendant of Lord Revan as having much more promise than himself.

Well, now he would kill the little Jedi brat, and he would make Kenobi watch, helpless to do anything about it.

Oh yes, Maul thought with a grin. His revenge looked very promising.


	39. Chapter 38 - Healing

The next few days passed with me suffering from nightmares of the night my parents died. Every time is was the same, feeling so realistic and terrifying. My mother carried me through the forest away from our home, and the shouts of a confrontation drifted through the air, coming from the house. Everytime my mother would place me in a little raft and hen send me off. The last I would see of her is a red lightsaber protruding from her chest, with Maul standing over her corpse, glaring angrily at her.

Finally, Master Kenobi had enough and confronted me about what was wrong.

"Jarik, we need to talk," he tells me. I stay on my bed, leaning against the wall glumly. He sighs and pulls up a meditation cushion next to the bed, so he can sit directly in front of me.

"Something is clearly bothering you. I know it, Anakin knows it, and Ahsoka knows it as well I'm sure," he says. "Everyone is worried about you. Ever since we fought Maul you've been in a depression."

I don't speak for a few moments, but he's patient, waiting me out before I finally give in.

"He was there..." I say quietly.

"Who was where?" he asks me gently.

"Maul... he was there that night," I reply, still just as quiet. Master Kenobi is silent for a few moments before he asks the next question.

"And what night was that?" he asks me.

"He killed my parents!" I exclaim, making him jerk back in surprise. "I forgot what happened until when we fought him... he killed my parents in an attempt to take me..." I start off loudly before going quiet at the end, pulling my knees up to hug myself.

Master Kenobi is quiet, unsure of what to say. "I'm so sorry Jarik. I never knew that," he finally says.

I shake my head. "I doubt anybody knew that. I didn't know that," I say, letting out a shaky breath. "He's been after me since I was a toddler..."

Obi-Wan sits on the bed and puts his arm around my shoulders comfortingly.

"I understand what you must be feeling. He killed my master twelve years ago on Naboo. Right in front of my eyes," he tells me. I look up at him, and he offers me a sad smile.

"That must have been awful," I say. He nods in agreement, and we sit there in silence, having nothing else to really say.

"Well, the next time we meet him, as I'm sure we will, we'll have to be ready." Master Kenobi tells me.

"We?" I ask in confusion. He nods his head at me.

"You've proved you can hold your own in a fight against dark sider's, and Maul will undoubtedly try to track you down alongside me," he informs me, and I understand his reasoning, although I smile a little bit at the praise he gives me.

"So we'll hopefully take him down?" I ask.

"Hopefully," he says with a nod. "Although you must be wary next time we face Maul. He will no doubt try to upset you like last time, playing with your emotions."

I exhale deeply and nod in understanding. "Yes Master."

He smiles at me before getting up. "Do you want me to find Ahsoka for you?" he asks, and I glance at him in slight surprise.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" I ask him.

He nods. "I may not agree entirely with the bond you two share, but I can understand how important it is to you both."

I smile brightly at him, relieved he could be so understanding. He really is a great Jedi Master.

"Also, Anakin's been complaining that she can't focus because of your brooding," he adds in, and I roll my eyes.

* * *

When Master Kenobi gave Ahsoka permission to come see me, she practically rushed over to see what was wrong and why I had been so upset these past few days. It was actually really sweet. She was almost acting like a mother concerned about her child, and did her best to make me feel better when I told her what Maul revealed about my parents. Our time together made me feel significantly better, as the bond flowed with warm and happy feelings. I was so grateful to have Ahsoka as my best friend.

At the same time I also felt a little bit ashamed or guilty because she always seemed to be the one comforting me, and yet I haven't done that nearly as much for her. When I told her that she smacked my shoulder and told me off for such nonsense. She wanted to comfort me and be my friend and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. I nodded mutely, a little bit afraid of her sternness which gave her some amusement.

For the rest of the day we mainly hung out with each other, just taking our time off from the war to relax and be the kids that we are, something that was a rare luxury with the Clone Wars growing darker and darker every day. We spent some time in the training room or the Room of a Thousand Fountains, sparring or exchanging playful banter and war stories. At one point during our private sparring session I managed to sting her with my lightsaber, causing her to yelp. I laughed at her reaction before she tackled me to the ground and held me in a headlock, giving me a noogie. Quite impressive considering I was taller than her at 5"6, while she was around an inch and a half shorter, only matching my height due to her montrals.

Not wanting to be upstaged by her more aggressive nature once again, I managed to break out of her headlock by squeezing her sensitive lekku lightly, forcing her to let go. I then swept her feet out from under her, but she managed to turn that into a backflip and land on her feet in front of me. After that we just laughed and ended our sparring session, calling it a day.

Eventually though, Anakin called her back to return to their lessons. We were a little bit reluctant to part but we quickly got over it, already knowing that it was just Jedi training, nothing really serious at all. I was gen informed by Master Kenobi that we would be heading out to the field again by the end of the week, so he gave me more training to prepare for the upcoming battles.


	40. Chapter 39 - A War on Two Fronts

_I opened my eyes to see myself in a strange place... where am I? All around me are stars... strange pathways... and circles or doors._

 _I don't seem to have control of my actions, which absolutely freaks me out. am I seeing something from another persons point of view?! If so... who is it?_

 _Studying my- or the person I'm in's surroundings, I see a teenager a little older than me in... clone armor? And then... Ahsoka?! She's so much older to! What the heck!_

 _I barely pay any attention to what seems like a red headed girl a little bit younger than the boy standing between me and Ahsoka, when our little party suddenly stops._

 ** _"Perhaps, I_** _ **can..."** a dark, chilling voice drawls._

 _We whip around and I barely take notice of the person I'm in telling the others to back away. In a circular doorway behind us, stands a robed figure that makes me tremble in fear. In front of him appears to be blue fire of some sort._

 ** _"Ezra Bridger, and the Shan family!"_** _he exclaims gleefully. **"Mine, at last!"**_

 _He then cackles loudly, his entire form screaming pure evil. Who is this person!?_

I shoot out of bed with a gasp, and my eyes dart around quickly and fearfully. I feel like I'm sweating heavily, and I double check myself to see if I'm really just fine. I glance around to see I'm still in my quarters and sigh in relief. It was just a vision. A weird, unusual vision, but I shouldn't concern myself with it for too much right now.

"Jarik?" Master Kenobi's voice breaks through the silence, and I look over to see him with concern on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

I nod in reassurance. "Yeah I'm fine. Just a dream," I tell him.

Anything important in the dream?" he asks me with a raised eyebrow. I shake my head.

"Nothing that I could understand," I answer honestly.

Master Kenobi nods. "Very well. We have an emergency Council meeting, so let's get going."

* * *

The Council was gathered in the tower, with me, Ahsoka and Anakin standing around the middle of the room, where Lux Bonteri and a soldier named Saw Gerrera were broadcasted through a hologram. I have to say Lux changed a lot from a Senator to someone fighting in a war zone. The death of his mother at the hands of Dooku seems to have hit him pretty hard. At least according to what Ahsoka told me, after I had gotten over my initial shock and frustration at her situation with the Death Watch.

 _"Unfortunately, the only way to reclaim Onderon will be through armed struggle."_ Lux Bonteri states through the hologram. _"But we lack sufficient hardware, and supplies."_

"Onderon is in your king's rule, and at the outbreak of the Clone War, he chose to align it with the Separatists." Master Kenobi states.

 _"Our true king has been silenced! The one you recognize is a traitor and a Separatist minion!"_ Saw states rather passionately. _"We need your help to survive this."_

"Find a way, we shall." Master Yoda declares.

 _"We await your answer."_ Lux says with a bow. He and Ahsoka then share a brief look which goes unnoticed by the others accept for me. Like when we were on Raxus, I feel a slight twinge of jealousy but shove it down with an internal roll of my eyes. SO what if they're attracted to each other? Their just friends is all.

"There are pockets of rebels on many of these planets that just need guidance." Anakin says. "With training and resources, they could attack soft targets while the Republic continues to engage them on the battlefield."

"That sounds like terrorism Anakin." Master Kenobi says with a slight frown.

"Well I think of it as an insurgency. To help realign these planets with the Republic!" Anakin says firmly.

"We can divide the Separatist forces and press them on two fronts." Master Windu suggests.

"A means to an end, fear, cannot be." Master Yoda says in disagreement with the idea. "Stop those who spread terror, the Jedi must."

"Indeed. What you're suggesting would open up dangerous possibilities. We must not train terrorists." Master Kenobi says sternly.

"Eh, rebels." Anakin corrects.

I'm a little torn between which side to choose. On one hand, I agree that terrorism isn't a good thing, and we should use attack methods in that manner. On the other hand, the Onderon rebels desperately need help in fighting against the Separatist ruled government if they wish to rejoin the Republic.

"How we conduct war is what distinguishes us from others. Funding rebels to overthrow a corrupt government puts innocent lives at risk." Master Kenobi says.

"We can minimize collateral damage by using arms that mainly affect droids." Anakin fires back at him.

"The least we can do is help them defend themselves." Master Windu adds. "Test the tactic while we're at it."

"Heh. This could be a great new weapon for us." Anakin says with a smile. Master Kenobi strokes his beard thoughtfully while me and Ahsoka share worried looks of concern. We both agree with the need to help the rebels, but the way we go about it will be difficult.

Yoda hums in thought, coming to a conclusion. "Train, and observe. Send advisors we will," he decides.

"I'll assemble a team." Anakin responds immediately.

"We're going with you," Master Kenobi says the moment the words leave his mouth, getting up out of his seat to come join us.

"What? You don't trust me?" Anakin asks in amusement.

"Too much. That's what worries me," he replies. Putting a hand on Anakin's shoulder. We all look at Master Yoda, who gives us a nod.

* * *

The four of us were taken aboard a Republic shuttle with our Jedi cloaks on, as well as Rex to provide battlefield tactics. The plan was that the shuttle would drop us off in the dense jungle, where we would head through the trees in search of the rebels camp.

 _"This is Valkyrie 2929. We're coming up on the drop zone,"_ the pilot told us over the speakers.

The shuttle then hovered to a stop above the trees and the door opened to reveal the expanse of jungle in the darkness of out spread out far around us. They certainly picked a good hiding space, that's for sure.

"Go go go!" the pilot shouts, pointing towards the ground. We jumped out of the shuttle, and landed on the ground with a roll, as well as using the Force the soften our landing. Rex came down with a jet-pack, being unable to use the Force like us. The moment we were confirmed to have touched down safely, the shuttle took off back to Coruscant.

The five of us glanced at each other with nods, and pulled our hoods up. Anakin and Rex trekked across the ground, while Master Kenobi, Ahsoka and I jumped up into the trees. We leaped through the brush for around a minute, staying with Anakin and Rex when the two of them were suddenly cut off by a dalgos, which had a rider. To the side they were flanked by another dalgos.

"Stay where you are!" The woman warns. "Identify yourselves."

Anakin removes his hood and smiles up at her reassuringly.

"It's alright. We're friends," he says.

The woman's demeanor immediately changed. "Jedi," she says in awe.

The rest of us leap down from the trees above. Master Kenobi lands on Anakin's right, while Ahsoka lands on a smaller tree to his left. I land on a tree log a little bit above their height, which has fallen over. We remove our hoods and Ahsoka introduces herself.

"I'm Commander Tano. We're here to help you take back our planet," she says.

"My name is Steela," the woman replies. "I'll guide you to our secret base."

* * *

The trek through the forest takes the rest of the night and we arrive at the rebels outpost in the morning. The place they had decided on for a base was basically the ruins of an old temple. A few arches dotted the place, as well as the temple's main structure. In different camps were the scattered rebels. Most were covered in dirt, with simple clothing and weapons that have obviously been stolen from different military shipments. As we enter the temple grounds, everyone stops talking to look at us, some with suspicion and others with relief.

"A little rough around the edges wouldn't you say?" Master Kenobi. Ahsoka shows off a smirk of amusement.

"That's why I brought Rex here," Anakin replies, gesturing to Rex behind him.

"They're not exactly what I would call shinies sir, but I can work with them." Rex admits.

One of the flying creatures swoops down to land in front of us and the man I recognize from the hologram steps off of it and approaches us.

"General Skywalker," he says.

"At your service." Anakin replies before gesturing to us. "This is General Kenobi, Commander's Tano and Shan, and Captain Rex," he says, introducing us.

"We're looking forward to taking the fight to those scrapping droids," he says eagerly.

"Yes. All in good time." Master Kenobi replies. I can't help but roll my eyes in amusement at his reaction to their eagerness.

"Saw. Saw Gerrera," he states confidently, crossing his arms.

Oh boy. He's one of those.

Not that there's anything wrong with his character, but sometimes that attitude can cause plenty of problems from what I've seen.

"He fashions himself as our leader, though no one elected him." Steela says, punching his shoulder.

 _"Well there's a familiar sight,"_ I remark to Ahsoka. She glances at me with a grin.

 _"Really? I'm sure you'd enjoy a good punch to the shoulder then,"_ she says mischievously.

 _"No thanks,"_ I respond.

"Well for now, we're in charge." Anakin says, falling into the role of military General. "And there is much to learn."

* * *

After ditching our cloaks, we all gathered the rebels around a holotable to begin our first lessons in battling droids.

"The Separatist have strength in numbers. But we're gonna show you how to target, and destroy them." Anakin says.

"Now to be clear, we're not here to fight your war. Rather to show you how to conduct it in the most sufficient and successful way possible." Master Kenobi states. The rebels all nod in understanding and Anakin waves Rex forward.

"Captain Rex," he says.

"Rex steps forward to the holotable and gets into his battle mode.

"I'll show you how the 501st destroy clankers," he states with a proud grin. "First, I'll need volunteers to carry supplies from our entry point, a half-click west."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Saw states.

"Excellent," Rex replies.

The rebels all begin to move out to perform their assignments, and Anakin and Master Kenobi begin to converse with each other.

 _"Want to go greet Lux again?"_ Ahsoka asks me.

I'm a little hesitant about it, still holding a small shred of annoyance for Lux aligning himself with Death Watch, but nod in agreement. I suppose in the kid's defense he never knew their true nature. Ahsoka smiles brightly at me, and we rush forwards to catch up with Lux before he moves away into the crowd.

"Lux, it's good to see you again," she says.

"It's good to see you two Ahsoka. The both of you," he adds upon noticing me. I nod back to him with a small smile of acknowledgement.

"I didn't realize you had such strong ties to Onderon." Ahsoka commented.

"Onderon is my home. My mother represented it in the Senate," he explains.

"Your voice is strong, like hers was." Steela comments as she walks up to Lux's side.

"Have you reconsidered joining the Republic Senate?" Ahsoka asks.

"Even if we do take back Onderon, it won't change how I feel. I'm not fighting for the Republic." Lux states. I don't really care to much about his answer because of the fact that I hate, politics. As long as nobody is considering to join the Separatists anytime soon then I'm cool with whatever choice Lux makes. That and nod dealing with Death Watch again.

"Well what matters now, is that we need each other's help. Just like we did on Carlac." Ahsoka says. I do my best to hide the slight discomfort that starts to come up in me. Oh stop it Shan.

"Carlac?" Steela says, stopping in surprise. "What happened on Carlac?"

The rest of us stop walking and turn to her, and I fold my arms.

"Ahsoka is the reason I'm here, and not with Death Watch," he states.

"Really?" Seetla questions with a slight frown. Seeing her look, Ahsoka goes to explain.

"What he means is-"

"She saved me, from a huge mistake." Lux says, moving to walk off before I stop him with a question.

"Just out of curiosity's sake, they didn't happen to mention me by any chance?" I ask him. He frowns in thought for a moment.

"Well, I suppose I do recall them say the name Shan, spewing hateful insults about it." Lux admits, and I shake my head in exasperation.

"Well that's wonderful." I remark. Ahsoka looks at me questionably.

"Seriously, why does Death Watch hate you so much?" she asks me curiously.

throw my hands up into the air. "I don't know! It's ridiculous! The moment they learned my name they went on a rampage to me," I exclaim in exasperation. Ahsoka raises a brow at me with crossed arms as Lux moves away to work on something else. Ahsoka watches him go, as Steela moves up to us.

"Lux obviously thinks highly of you," she says.

"I guess so." Ahsoka replies.

Steela suddenly gets confrontation and moves in Ahsoka's face, much to our surprise. I frown in displeasure.

"Let's hope that respect is well founded," she says coldly, heading off to Saw and Rex. We watch her leave with frowns of annoyance and confusion on our faces. I peek at Steela's signature and almost choke up in surprise. WOW!

"What's got her so upset?" Ahsoka says irritably. A grin slowly forms on my face as I turn to look at her.

"I think.. she's jealous!" I say inbetween quiet laughs. Ahsoka eyes me incredulously.

"What? What do you mean jealous? Me and Lux are just friends," she says defensively.

I wave my hand and walk off, beginning to prepare the part of a lesson that I would teach the rebel's about Slicing.

"Keep telling yourself that Sweetie Horns," I remark. Ahsoka sighs in annoyance, and on the inside I feel slightly irritated too. I still feel a small twinge of jealousy at Lux for Ahsoka's affection towards him, which I've felt before even though she keeps that part hidden very well.

* * *

While the others were teaching the majority of the rebels how to combat tanks and other droids, I was teaching the more technical people of the group a basic understanding of how to slice through the droid transmissions or possibly disable them. I was using a tactical droid's head as a demonstration.

"These tactical droids are essentially the strategists and commanders of the most droid forces. They are highly intelligent, and at are programmed to deter any unwanted access to their memories," I informed them. I plugged the droid's head into the terminal, and as expected, trying to access its files cameup empty.

"A way to bypass this firewall, is to input different types of coding," I tell them, typing on the data pad and projecting it to them on the data table. "If you know what your looking for, you can fool the droid's firewalls and access its memory by making it think you're a Separatist yourself."

The rebels nod in understanding as I bypass the tactical droids firewall, displaying the information in its memory banks. It's only a demonstration so it doesn't hold any real data, but they get the picture.

"However if the droids protocol detects unwanted access before you can stop it, they're designed to wipe themselves clean, leaving them as worthless husks of metal." I warn the rebels.

"Now, divide into pairs and practice breaking through the firewalls." I tell them. "Make sure you understand what it is your looking at so you can use the necessary steps to slice though it. We'll be reviewing probe droids next."

As the rebels move into pairs, I glance over to see Saw and Lux get into an argument. Ahsoka watches them in concern, and I form a small frown on my face at the situation before returning to the lesson.

* * *

A little while later, while the others are engaged in the droideka lesson, I manage to catch a whiff of disappointment from Ahsoka.

 _"You alright?"_ I ask her.

 _"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"_ she asks me. I send back the feelings of disappointment I felt from her a second ago, and she suddenly gets a little nervous or sheepish.

 _"Sorry... I was just hoping to practice disabling the droids with Lux,"_ she admitted.

I send a small mental shrug to her in order to hide the slight bit of jealousy that flickers in my mind. Seriously, what's wrong with letting Ahsoka have another friend, who so happens to be a guy? She doesn't have any problems with me being friends with Barriss, so I need to just chill.

 _"Maybe next time,"_ I tell her.

 _"Yeah, maybe. Thanks Jarik."_ she says.

 _"Anytime Sweetie Horns."_

* * *

Another hour later, we were all regathered together as one group, and Steela was currently practicing her accuracy with a sniper rifle on droids from a far distance. She shoots one head dead on, knocking it off from its stand.

"Impressive. Most impressive." Anakin compliments her.

"Fixed targets are one thing." Ahsoka speaks up. "How about this?"

She then raises her arm with a gesture and lifts a droid head from the ground. She begins to move it around, and Steela moves into action. She fires off three bolts, each striking it dead on with precision. The final shot knocks the droid head to the ground.

"Nice job." Ahsoka says simply. The others move forward to praise her shooting.

"You've clearly mastered your ability to focus." Master Kenobi remarks.

I notice Ahsoka move to join everyone, a little let down, and I follow after her in concern when Anakin gets her attention.

"Snips. Are you, losing focus?" he asks.

"No, Master," she replies. I sidle up to them with a grin.

"Brilliant!" I say cheerfully. They both give me a look with raised eyebrows and I roll my eyes. Geez, is everybody humorless on this mission?

"A headshot is the only decisive way to disable a droid." Rex informs the rebels. "They don't need arms, legs, or even bodies to pass intel to central command."

He then nodded to Steela, facing the droids. "Alright. Shoot at will!" Rex pointed at the droid heads and Steela aimed, however I could sense something was troubling her.

"Wait…" she says in confusion. "What is that?"

The leaves were then brushed aside and I saw a fully armed squadron of droids advancing on our position.

"Droids!" Saw yelled out.

Everyone looked in surprise before hastily readying their weapons for battle. A B2 rocket droid aimed towards the center of our group and fired.

"Take cover!" Rex yelled.

Me and Ahsoka leaped out of the way and activated our lightsabers, soon joined by Saw and Lux. We deflected the blasts as we swiftly moved to cover, while Lux and Saw fired at our attackers. Me and Ahsoka stood by a column, taking turns deflecting fire and taking cover behind the column.

"I guess the droids wanted to give us a final exam!" I exclaimed to Ahsoka, blocking another shot. She deflected a couple more bolts, hitting two battle droids in the chest.

"Yeah, well this isn't really the best time for a test now is it?" Ahsoka said back to me. I gave off a little grin as I blocked another shot.

"Do you two always talk during a battle?!" Lux shifted at us, a little nervous from his lack of war experience. We grinned at each other.

"Yes!" We both told him.

I then noticed an entire row of droids get taken out in a line, each getting killed from a headshot. I let it a whistle. "Wow… that's impressive!" I told Saw.

"She's the best shooter we've got!" he replied, taking down a super battle droid. His comlink then glowed green as Steela contacted him. "Saw, use your disruptors to take out the droids!"

"I'm on it," he replied, closing the communication and waving to a nearby group of rebels.

"Ready disruptors!"

As I continued to deflect blaster fire, I noticed that a few of the rebels pulled out some kind of object that looked like an explosive set off by a fuse. I was surprised that the grenades they used were that low-tech, but considering the low resources they had available, I had to be impressed. Saw and the rebels then threw the disruptors at a large group of droids, who looked at it in confusion. One of the droids even picked it up, asking what it was before it exploded in his face.

I held back a laugh. "Why are droids always so dumb?" I exclaimed.

"I don't know, but it's hilarious all the time!" Ahsoka told me, a smirk in her face from the droids reaction.

"We're not out of this yet." Lux warned us. We turned to see an AAT tank barreling straight towards us. It fired a few rounds, causing explosions that blew two of the Rebels back, where they lay on the ground unmoving.

Another squad of droids reopened fire, and me and Ahsoka stood up from our cover, deflecting the shots back to hit a couple of them. I then noticed Steela firing at the gates where the animals were kept. They charged out of their enclosure, running straight at the droids and trampling them all into bits. Some droids even got flown into the air, where they screamed in droids terror. Amidst the charge, me and Ahsoka noticed Lux and Saw running towards the tank with detonators in their hands.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she asked them.

"What you taught us!" Lux yelled back.

We watched them perform the move nicely, throwing the charges into the tank. Ahsoka ran up and jumped onto the tank, using the force to close the hatch. They all jumped off as it exploded, and a piece came flying towards me. I swiftly brought my lightsaber up to cut it in half, the sides just barely missing me.

I then headed over to the group as Ahsoka helped Saw up. Steela followed me, helping Lux to his feet as she smirked at him.

"We uh, need to clean you up," she joked.

Saw laughed. "I like it. Now you look more like a soldier than a politician."

"Well, maybe a good politician needs to get dirty now and then." Steela comments with a grin. They all begin to walk away and Ahsoka shakes her head with a smirk on his face. I lean my arm on her should and let off a sigh.

"Young love..." I say.

She turns to look at me like I was crazy and I shrug. "Not that I know anything about love," I add.

Ahsoka sighs and removes my arm from her shoulder, elbowing me in the gut. I flinch painfully from the blow and she smirks at me in amusement.

"That's probably for the best little Jari," she teases me.

"You know I am taller right/" I ask.

"And I'm older remember?" she retorts back. I slump my shoulders in defeat with a sigh as we rejoin the rest of the group.

"Take confidence from this victory, but rest assured, there will be more droids coming, now that they know your position." Master Kenobi congratulates them, but also reminds them warningly about the base being compromised.

"It doesn't matter." Anakin says confidently. "You're ready now. We're going to take the fight to the droids. You don't have to hide in the jungle any longer."

"Droids were a bit dim, more so than I imagined." Saw comments.

"They make up for it in numbers. They're designed to overwhelm." Ahsoka reminds him.

"But they're not designed to deal with our approach." Anakin says firmly.

"We hit them where they least expect it. And before they realize what happened," Lux says.

"We fade in with the rest of the population." Steela says, catching on to the plan.

"Exactly." Anakin says with a grin.

"We'll need a plan to get inside the city first without alerting them to our presence," I remind everyone.

"I, have an idea!" Lux says with a smile on his face.

* * *

A while later after hearing of Lux's plan to get inside the city, we were all traveling through the forest towards the city in a convoy, having the animals pull lots of the supplies surrounded by animal skins and other organic items. The plan was to act as merchants and hunters, entering the city to sell. I was sitting next to Anakin on his cart with another rebel hanging on to the back. Ahsoka, Lux and Steela were on their own cart, while Master Kenobi was riding one of the creatures. Us Jedi had our robes on to hide our identities.

We approached the ray shield, where numerous droids and civilians were gathered. As expected, the droids stopped Ahsoka's cart before the commander began to inspect it with its scanners.

"Halt! What were you doing outside of the city gates?"

"Hunting." Lux replies simply. "We've been trekking for days."

"Did you register before your excursion?" the droid asks.

"No, but most of our time is spent in the bush, collecting our traps," he replies, pulling out a small pouch. "We come to the city to sell. You can't get thrip larva like this in Iziz, only the biggest trees on the other side of Onderon."

"Hey, listen, we need to deliver all of this in time for supper!" Steela complains to the droid.

"Hmm, are you scanning anything?" the droid asks the commander.

"It's hard to tell with so much organic matter," it replies.

"Come on!" the rebel in our cart calls out in annoyance. "Our merchants are waiting inside, can you hurry it up?"

After a moment of hesitation, the commander waves us forward. "Let them through."

The ray shield is retracted, and we ride our carts into the city successfully, easily blending in with the whole population.

"Good plan." Ahsoka comments.

"Like Saw said, those droids are dumber than we thought." Lux says.

"Makes them cheaper to manufacture them," I tell him as we come to a halt in the street.

"Not a bad start." Anakin remarks. "But now, the hard work begins."

"You must find recruits and choose your targets wisely." Master Kenobi advises.

"They'll be looking for us." Steela states while Saw pops up.

"We should split up," Lux suggests.

"Regroup after nightfall. I'll alert our brothers." Saw tells us, jumping off the cart. Lux and the other woman follows after.

"We'll make sure you have the supplies you need." Anakin tells him.

"Rex and I will take care of that." Ahsoka says.

"Good luck." Lux tells us.

"You too," Ahsoka and Steela both say in unison, causing them to look at each other in surprise. I let off a snicker.

"That's brilliant timing," I remark with a grin. Ahsoka and Steela both flash me a warning glare, and I go quiet in surrender, causing them to both grin at each other triumphantly.

 _"Great! You two are friends now!"_ I tell her.

 _"Oh stop it Jarik,"_ she grumbles in exasperation. Everyone then begins to head off, leaving me, Anakin and Master Kenobi together.

"How do you think they'll do?" Anakin asks.

"I have a feeling we'll be pleasantly surprised." Master Kenobi says.

"So is that a yes to this new plan Master?" I ask him.

"I am hopeful Jarik, hopeful," he responds.

With that being said, Master Kenobi leads his mount away, and we go our separate ways throughout the city to deliver the supplies to where we decided to hold our secret hideout within the city, and rendezvous with everyone by nightfall.


	41. Chapter 40 - Front Runners

I was leaning against a wall by the food market with my Jedi robes on, arms crossed casually. On the other side of the street, Ahsoka was walking through the crowd like any other person, although she gave me a subtle nod. I nodded back in return, and soon enough, Lux came quietly rushing through the market, giving Ahsoka a brief look before hiding behind on of the stands. A small squad of droids then charged in before stopping in the middle of the crowd, obviously searching for Lux. He pulled out a droid popper and tossed it right into the middle of their group, disabling them.

The droids went down with cries, and the people who witnessed the event gasp in fear and confusion, speaking amongst themselves unsure of what to think. I stood up from the wall and then moved down the road, heading back towards the rebels hideout. Lux and Ahsoka did the same, each taking separate routes to prevent detection. If everything was going as planned, numerous attacks against the droids would be happening throughout the city, hopefully gaining the people's support.

* * *

Back at out secret hideout, me, Ahsoka, Anakin and Master Kenobi sat down on one of the couches, while Steela, Saw, and Lux sat on the other. Surrounding us were Captain Rex and the other rebels. We lower our hoods, no longer needing to hide from the public.

"Your success will not go unnoticed." Anakin says with a smile. The rebels all cheered triumphantly at the statement.

"I agree, but we need to be mindful of public perception." Master Kenobi says, turning to me. "What was your observation Padawan Shan?"

"The people were confused and fearful, Master," I tell him.

"Indeed," he replies in agreement. ""Judging from the reactions I saw today I'm afraid they will mistake your intentions."

"We need to do more damage!" Saw says, punching his hand in emphasis. "A few dozen broken-down droids will do little to free Onderon!"

"The people need to believe we can succeed. Without their support, our efforts are meaningless!" Steela says.

"If they're afraid they won't support us." Lux says, thinking back to how the Separatist Parliament gave their support. "We need to assure them of our intentions."

"I don't understand. Why are they afraid?" Saw asks in confusion.

"They're afraid we're not strong enough to win." Steela tells him. "We need to earn their trust!"

"You'll have plenty of time to earn their trust." Anakin speaks up. "All of you are going to be very busy."

"Today was only a test. You'll get your chance." Rex says reassuringly.

"In the meantime, make the most of your victories." Master Kenobi advises. "Welcome, and learn from them."

"Perhaps if we hit something big." Lux suggests, standing up. "Give a show of strength. They will overcome their fear and join us!"

"Do you have something in mind?" Ahsoka asks him.

"I know the perfect target!" Lux states with a grin.

* * *

After the meeting, the five of us exited the hideout, putting our hoods back on.

"I think they're ready to give the 501st some competition!" Anakin tells Rex with a grin.

"Let's not get carried away General," he responds defensively. "Though, these rebels have impressed me," he admits.

"We will share the developments with the Jedi Council. Jarik and Ahsoka will remain here as an advisor." Master Kenobi says, turning to the two of us. "Moniter them, and report back with their progress."

We bow our heads. "Yes Master," I say.

"Are you up for it Snips?" Anakin asks, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Or would you like to return to Coruscant?"

"No Master, I want to stay," she replies firmly. I nod in agreement.

"Same here," I tell them.

"Good." Master Kenobi says. "We shall continue to provide supplies and credits, but they must learn to operate on their own. Their survival depends on it."

"Yes Master," we both say in unison.

"Remember your purpose." Anakin says, before the three of them walk away to exit the city, where a shuttle should sneak through to the surface and pick them up. Me and Ahsoka watch them leave, offering each other brief glances and a shrug before heading back inside.

* * *

Later in the evening, Ahsoka, me, Steela, Lux and Saw were all crouched on the roof of a building, and Steela was scouting out our target for the next attack, a massive power grid that droids would constantly enter and exit from. Me and Ahsoka had ditched our robes for better maneuverability in sneaking across the city.

"I gotta say, this ain't a bad idea Lux," I admit with a nod of approval.

"That's why I picked it. This power generator feeds substations across the city. We hit that, and the entire grid falls." Lux tells us. I already knew that of course, being the technical genius that I am.

"How does that help us?" Steela asks in confusion. "Battle droids are no longer linked to central control. They operate individually."

"Even so, droids need their power recharged. Simple B1's aren't designed to last forever, especially without a power grid." I tell her.

"And then it will only be a matter of time until the entire droid army is brought to a standstill. Literally." Lux says.

"If you carry the plan out by nightfall, you'll maximize your strike capability." Ahsoka suggests.

"Ok, so we just need to figure out how to destroy the power station." Steela says.

"We need to do more surveillance." Lux decides after a moment.

"Is there any way to turn it off remotely?" Steela asks me. I shake my head.

"No. They keep the power grid active on its own energy source, keeping any virtual attack from being possible." I tell her. "Even then, there would definitely be a backup switch to turn the grid back on if that did work."

Steela sighs but nods in understanding.

"Those droids should have all the intel we need stored up in those tin cans of theirs right?" Saw asks us.

"They should." Ahsoka replies. Saw stands up with a smirk on his face.

"Then I'll get us one," he says.

"I'll go with you," I offer.

We slide down the side of the roof, and fling around the wall to the narrow ally in between buildings. Saw grabs hold of the ledge and begins to jump between the buildings to get down, while I jump straight down, using the Force to cushion the landing. He lands beside me with a slight frown.

"That's not fair," he says.

I offer him a shrug. "Eh. You did better than most non-force sensitives." I reassure him.

Saw leads the way out of the alley, and I follow after him. We sneak along the side of the wall, where a patrol of three droids is walking by. I nod for him to continue, and he steps out from cover, walking up to the droid casually.

"Hey, clanker!" he says.

The droid looks at him, and Saw takes the opportunity to rip the droids head from its body. The droid shouts in surprise, and Saw rushes back to the alley, the head held in his hands.

"Nice job," I tell him.

We make our way back up the building, and eventually regroup with the others in our scouting position. Saw opens up a portable hologram data retriever, and plugs the cord to the droids head. A map of the power grid instantly comes up, the B1's not having the same firewalls that a tactical droid would have.

"Sentries at every access point, inside and out." Saw says.

"We can't sustain combat against their numbers." Lux says grimly.

"But our size makes us perfect for mobility and surprise." Steela tells us. "We need something with heavy firepower, if we are to blow up this facility."

"If we give them enough trouble, they'll call for reinforcements." Lux says, catching on to the idea.

"Like a tank!"

"Exactly. Then you could provide cover while we hijack it," he suggests.

"And then, we use their own weapon against them." Steela finishes.

Saw cuts the hologram and looks up with a grin. "And bring the droid army to its knees."

Me and Ahsoka look at each other with small smiles on our faces. These rebels continue to impress.

 _"I like it. You?"_ I ask her. She nods in agreement.

 _"Same,"_ she replies.

With that being said, we exit the roof and prepare for the next part of our plan, waiting for the darkness of the night to strike.

* * *

In another alleyway, our small group was huddled together as we waited for the speeder to come by. A man and woman walked by us, and stared at us in fearful surprise. Saw brings and hand to his lips in a shushing motion, and they quickly hurry along.

Soon enough, the speeder passes by us, and the rebel parks it, grabbing the detonator and rushing for cover on the other side of the street. The loud sign of battle droids can be heard not a moment later as they round the corner and begin walking down the street in our direction.

"Remember the plan. We attack this patrol, and hopefully they will call in a tank for backup." Lux says.

The droids come upon the speeder and begin pushing it out of the way, walking around the side of it, slightly breaking formation because of the obstacle. Saw signals the rebel to start the attack, and she presses the detonator.

A flash of electricity spreads out from the speeder, knocking out a third of the droid forces surrounding it. Saw signals the other rebels again, and they rush out from cover, firing their blasters at the droids, taking them out. The super battle droids fire back, and a shot manages to hit one of the rebels in the chest. He falls down with a cry.

"Let's go!" Saw says, brandishing his blaster. He rushes for a small group of B2's and they focus fire on him, missing their shots. He sliders through their legs and drops a droid popper, which effectively destroys the droids.

He and Lux then quickly finish off the remainder of the droid forces, leaving the droid commander as the sole survivor. It looks up in alarm and hurries away, raising a hand to its comlink.

"Patrol 118 to central," the droid says quickly. As it does this, Steela lines up a shot with her sniper rifle.

"We've been ambushed by terrorists and need reinforcements!"

The moment the droid finishes its sentence, Steela fires, blowing the droids head clean off. Me and Ahsoka stand up from our kneeling position and rush out of the alley. However instead of a tank, we hear a noise that fills me with dread. I share a look with Ahsoka, and our expressions only confirm our thoughts.

"You hear that? They sent destroyers! Move!" she orders the rebels.

Two droideka's roll up at the end of the street and open their blasters, firing at us repeatedly. Me and Ahsoka stand in the middle of the street and activate our lightsabers, deflecting the blaster fire headed in our direction. The rebels take cover wherever they can, but their efforts prove ineffective against their shields.

"Well it's just our luck they send they worst possible droid instead of what we actually wanted!" I say over the noise of blaster fire.

"I thought you'd be used to it by now!" Ahsoka retorts, deflecting a shot away from her head.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it!" I fire back, deflecting a few more red bolts.

A few seconds later, I notice Saw and Lux peek out from behind the alley behind the droideka's and manage to shake my head with a small smile. What an unlikely duo. The trigger happy soldier, and the defecting politician.

Saw rolls one of his droid poppers forwards, getting it through the shield of the droid on our right, disabling it. Lux then goes for the same move, but the droid popper bounces off the shield, and the droideka turns to focus on them, sensing the disturbance.

"Well that's not good," I remark.

Saw pushes Lux out of the way and then leaps behind the disabled droideka for cover. Seeing the tense situation, Steela pulls out her own droid popper and rushes at the droideka. Although instead of rolling it across the ground, she slides right by and slips her arm through the shield, dropping the bomb there, which then releases its electrical charge.

We deactivate our lightsabers and Ahsoka grabs Steela's rifle, before heading over to the trio, along with another rebel.

"I've never seen a destroyer taken out that way before." Ahsoka admits, handing Steela her rifle.

"We all have to adapt." Steela says.

The sound of an AAT draws our attention, and sure enough, the tank floats forwards at the other end of the street, turret pointed straight at us.

"There's our tank!" Saw says with a smirk.

The AAT fires a round at us, and we scatter, dodging its blasts.

"Split up!" Steela says.

I head over to the right with Saw and Lux, while Ahsoka goes with Steela and Dono to the left. Steela lines up her sniper rifle, and shoots one of the B2's in what would equal to its processor, which is where the glowing red dot resides. I let off a small whistle.

"Nice shot." I remark.

"It sure is!" Saw says in agreement. He and Lux fire their blasters at the droids, rushing forwards, and I follow after them. One of the super battle droids takes notice and slowly moves in our direction, firing its arm cannons repeatedly. I activate mylightsaber to deflect a stray shot before taking cover beside the wall alongside Lux and Saw. A moment later, the droid is taken out by another well-placed shot from Steela.

We rush forwards to hide behind a speeder close to the tank, and another B2 steps forward, firing in the direction of Ahsoka's group. Lux and Saw step forwards, firing at the droid, but the shots merely glance off of its tough armor. The droid focuses on us, before Steela takes it down again, straight through its processor.

"Let's move!" Saw says, taking out another grenade. He and Lux go through the training once again, throwing the droid poppers into the tank without effort. They jump off, and the tank then stops cold as electricity spreads across the entire thing, disabling it. The last two droids are taken out by Steela as they attempt to shoot down Saw and Lux. Ahsoka's group then joins up with us, and we all grin at our success.

"Good work. Now let's get this thing up and running again," Saw says, climbing up to the gunners position.

"Well, cheers to the first successful plan carried out by themselves," I tell Ahsoka.

She nods in agreement. "Definitely."

We wait a few moments before frowning. "Tanks don't take this long to start up do they?" I ask Ahsoka.

She eyes me skeptically. "What are you asking me for? You're the technical guy."

"Not with vehicles! I'm good with slicing, virtual combat, droids, not vehicles and mechanics!" I retort. She rolls her eyes with a grin.

"True. That's where I outclass you Shan," she teases me. I frown in displeasure.

"Hey, that's not fair." I complain. She shrug her shoulders.

Our banter is brought to a halt when the tank finally starts up again. Lux and Steela get down onto the lower portion of the tank while Saw pilots it. Ahsoka leaps up to stand on Lux's side, while I stand behind Steela. We head into the courtyard that stands just before the massive doors to the power grid. Lucky for us, nobody is currently here due to curfew being in place. Makes our job easier. Steela then leaps off the tank and heads over towards one of the smaller structures in the courtyard.

"I'll draw their fire. Good luck," she tells us. Me and Ahsoka jump off after her.

"We'll cover you," she says.

We rush over to the structure quickly, and after determining we would be spotted, helped Steela climb onto the roof to get into a sniper's position.

 _"We're almost in position. Ready when you are Steela."_ Saw says through the comlink.

A few moments later, Steela opens fire, scoring head shots on the droids with every blue laser that comes from her rifle. The droids are slow to react, but open fire on her position, shooting off many red laser blasts. Fortunately, their aim is poor, and none of their shots get close enough to be harmful.

A small patrol of battle droids suddenly flanks us, getting our attention. They open fire, and Ahsoka activates her main blade to deflect them, with me following. The droids continue to charge recklessly, allowing me and Ahsoka to redirect a few shots back at them. Steela then opens fire with a small pistol, taking down a few more droids until there are none left. Me and Ahsoka deactivate our sabers, and peek out from around the corner to watch as the droids continue firing on Steela's position.

Saw and Lux then charge at the droids with their tank, ramming them all to the ground before firing the gun at the doors. The first door is destroyed, but another door is behind that, so Saw fires again. Once the door is taken down however, a squad of commando droids rush out with their blasters, headed straight for the tank.

Steela charges forwards with her sniper rifle, but the droids superior agility and programming allows them to dodge her shots, as they get closer to the tank. Luckily, the overwhelming fire from all three of them brings down a few droids, but one gets to Lux, punching him in the face before throwing him to the ground. Steela aims at it with her pistol, but the droid kicks it away. Lux manages to recuperate and shoots the droid straight through the head, and it falls to the ground, leaving no droids left.

"You're all clear!" Steela yells to Saw, who nods, firing the tank gun.

Two shells impact against the main generator of the power ground, causing it to explode and send out an electrical shockwave. Ahsoka moves behind the wall with a grimace, covering her sensitive montrals from the imploding sound, and the elctrical charge that followed. I stand beside her and help cover her montrals, knowing how sensitive they were, and how painful it is for a Togruta to react to loud sounds, or certain charges that humans can't hear regularly.

Once the shockwave is over, we move out from cover and observe the scene, pulling out our night-vision goggles. We watch as Steela, Saw and Lux get off of the tank and rush away, and we smile to ourselves proudly.

"Looks like all that training is paying off." Ahsoka comments.

"Yup. Boil and Cody would be impressed," I remark with a grin.

"So would Fives and Rex," she tells me.

* * *

Later that night, we were all gathered back in the hideout, where the rebels were cheering over their victory. After the power grid was destroyed, many droid patrols were attacked, being unable to see due to the power outage. The people began to cheer for them after the many droid patrols were destroyed, which meant success.

"We must celebrate." Steela says, waving her drink around.

"With pleasure," Saw says. He picks her up and swings her around, causing Lux's face to fall. I internally roll my eyes in amusement. I could sense those two loved each other, just more in the brother and sister way, something Lux clearly couldn't pick up. Ahsoka offers him a reassuring smile, which quickly turns to a small frown of jealousy as Steela gives Lux a hug.

I beat down the small feelings of jealousy that were stirring in my heart at seeing Ahsoka interested in Lux, and throw a comforting arm around her shoulders. She gives me a small but grateful smile. That helps to put some of my jealousy aside. I am so glad she hasn't sensed that private feeling of jealousy... yet. Hopefully never.

 _"Steela is a born leader."_ Rex comments.

 _"And quite courageous I hear."_ Master Kenobi adds in.

 _"Ahsoka, remember what I told you about staying focused,"_ Anakin reminds her. She looks at him nervously, slight hints of shame in her eyes. She and I both know that attachment is frowned upon within the Jedi Order, which we obviosly didn't fully agree with, as evident by our Force-bond.

"I can't help it Master." Ahsoka admits.

 _"I understand."_ Anakin says, causing us to look at him in surprise.

"You do?" Ahsoka asks.

"Seriously?" I say.

 _"I do,"_ he responds. _"But always remember, try to put purpose ahead of your feelings."_

 _"This latest development will surely get Count Dooku's attention."_ Master Kenobi says, stepping forward. _"He will respond harshly. They will stop at nothing to find you. You must adapt and continue to confront them in order to liberate Onderon,"_ he reminds them.

"We will." Saw says.

"And we shall win." Steela says confidently.

 _"In that, I have no doubt."_ Master Kenobi says. Me and Ahsoka give off approving smiles.

 _"Now you must rally the people."_ Anakin says. _"You will need their support. Your ability to influence them will also determine you capacity to represent them. Not only on the battlefield, but off of it. against your enemies, even within your own ranks. Your commitment will inspire others. Your conviction, will lead to victory,"_ he says.

 _"After tonights efforts the people will be ready to follow. You will need a leader for them to rally behind."_ Master Kenobi says.

Saw crosses his arms with a smile on his face. After that message, the holograms disappeared, and the rebels discussed their next plan of action.

"We need to build on our momentum and continue our attacks to keep them off balance." Saw says.

"We have to assure the people first," Lux states. "If we keep disrupting their lives we risk alienating them. We have to gain their trust."

"I agree with both of you. We can balance both. We also need to recruit others to join us." Steela says, turning to the group gathered in the room.

"Onderon is ours. We will remind everyone, and keep reminding them until we get it back," she states, raising her fist into the air victoriously. Everyone begins to cheer, and me and Ahsoka share a smile with each other from where we were leaning against the wall in observation.

Then Dono suddenly stands up from where she sat. "All in favor of Steela as our leader!" she says, earning a look of surprise from Steela. "Raise you hand!"

Around the room, everyone raised their hands with smiles on their faces, all in favor of Steela as the leader. Saw looks around in slight bitterness, but not deciding to argue against it either.

"Ok, looks like its been decided. You're the leader," he says, putting a hand on her shoulder before walking out.

"Saw!" Steela calls after him, moving to talk to him. Lux stops her.

"Let him go, he just needs to blow off some steam. He'll be back," he says.

"I can't," she replies, moving towards the door. Lux watches her go, feeling dejected.

"Why?" Ahsoka asks her.

"Because he's my brother." Steela tells us.

We watch her exit the building after Saw, and share concerned glances, unsure of what to think about this new development.


	42. Chapter 41 - The Soft War

_SO! Who watched the Star Wars Rebels season 4 finale episodes?! That was intense, ridiculous! Oh my gosh! I absolutely loved it! When Thrawn was bombarding the city they played the Emperor's theme from ROTJ, and they had Sidious as well. The Loth-Wolves were great, everything was wonderful._

 _And Ahsoka..._

 _Man that ending really changes my original plan for how I'm going to go about this massive story!_

 _I still haven't changed the final outcome for Ahsoka and Jarik in my stories, but how I'm going to go about has changed a lot since Season 4 started. I've enjoyed Star Wars for a long time, and I don't hate the Prequels, or the Sequels, despite the obvious problems they have (especially TLJ). So hate on my opinion if you want, but my storyline goes through all three Trilogies, including Rey and the First Order and all that stuff._

 _BUT: rest assured that while I'm following the Disney Canon for future events, I will alter it to better fit my needs, and in a more preferable and understandable way that I'm sure you guys would enjoy, even my version of the Last Jedi._

 _But this is going to be epic, I can guarantee that! DAVE FILONI IS THE BEST!_

 _#davefiloni4lucasflimpresident_

 _PLEASE._

* * *

Since the attack against the power grid took place a few days ago, Separatist reinforcements have been pouring into the city. Multiple troop transports and tanks have begun to patrol the streets alongside regular patrols, making secrecy and action a bit tougher for the rebels. There was also rumor of a new and intelligent commander in charge of the droid forces now, but we weren't certain. However today the rebels were preparing to set up a public speech for the people, and Steela would be the one to give it.

With my hood up, I walked through a crowded market place, with people of different races all over, buying produce or other supplies. I noticed a large pile of crates, and walked over, discretely placing a small device amongst the crates, which would display Steela for the citizens to see.

After that was done, I walked through the city towards a smaller alleyway, where Ahsoka and Lux were waiting. After a few moments, our comlinks blinked green.

"We're ready." Lux says.

We both nod and press the button on our comlinks, activating the hologram of Steela, who was giving her speech live at the sight of a Separatist patrol they should have destroyed. Hey image comes up and the people gasp in shock at the sight, all whispering to each other in confusion and wariness.

 _"People of Onderon, the time has come to take back our freedom!"_ Steela proclaims. _"We have all been deceived. King Rash is a traitor, who has sold Onderon to the Separatists for the crown. But Onderon is ours. We need your strength to reclaim our planet, and restore our sovereignty under our true king, King Dendum."_

* * *

Later that evening, a storm had just come through, and the newest supply drop had come in. We were currently overseeing the hideouts supplies being restocked with more food and ammunition.

"Ok guys, put it in the back with the rest." Ahsoka says.

A moment later, Dono comes rushing down the stairs with urgent news.

"Steela! They're executing Kind Dendum tomorrow in Yolan Square!"

We widen our eyes in surprise and alarm.

"Where did you hear of this?" Steela demands.

"Malgan Market, the merchants! The Separatists are saying he's behind our attacks!" she says. I shake my head in irritation at their tactic. Why am I not surprised? The Separatists don't care much about who they accuse of being their enemies. If they say King Dendum is behind it, then that's how it'll be in their eyes. Saw then walks out of the hideout to join us.

"More lies," Steela says in frustration. "they're making him an example to humiliate us."

"Maybe, but their efforts could work against them." Ahsoka suggests. "Executing him would only make him a martyr."

"We can't let him die!" Saw states. "We have to break him out somehow."

"No! We should wait until he's in public, at the execution!" Steela says.

"That's where they'd expect it!" Saw argues back.

"I know, but this is our moment! We'll save him for all of Iziz to witness! We don't have much time!" Steela says.

"They're counting on us to show up," he retorts, walking outside.

"Where are you going?" Steela demands.

"Trust me," is all he says.

"Stop!" Steela orders him. He stops in surprise before looking back in determined anger.

"Let me take care of this!" he says.

"This isn't about you," she says.

"We can't afford a reckless move right now!" Lux adds in.

"Yeah? Go right a speech about it." Saw retorts. Lux narrows his eyes at him angrily.

"This move of yours carries a lot of risk Saw," I warn him.

He's silent for a few moments before replying. "That's why I'm going alone."

Saw walks away into the rain, and Dono turns to us, wondering what to do.

"Follow him." Steela tells her. She nods and rushes out into the rain after Saw, while we watch them go, worried for what may possibly happen.

* * *

Later that night, me and Ahsoka found a small hallway that was out of the way of everyone else, and we were ready to make our report back to the Council.

"Well this has been a trying rebellion op," I tell her.

"Hmph. Tell me about it," she says in agreement, pulling out the holo-communicator. She sets it on one of the cargo crates, and we both pull up two boxes to sit on. Right now we were both feeling some measure of stress, the job of advising and watching the rebels being a bit difficult for us, as well as the entirety of this war. We both subconsciously sooth each other's stress away through the Force bond, and contact Coruscant.

A few moments later, Master Kenobi and Anakin appear in the hologram, and we greet each other.

 _"Ahsoka, Jarik. How are things on Onderon?"_ Anakin asks us.

"I'm not entirely sure Master. The rebels are still fighting strong against the Separatists, but it's tough work," I admit.

 _"Hmm. I sense fear in you two."_ Master Kenobi says.

Ahsoka leans her hand on her hand with a sigh. "The rebels are divided. If they try to rescue the king now, I'm afraid we might lose them."

 _"We cannot control their fate."_ Master Kenobi reminds us.

"It's because they're risking their lives for just one. I'm not doubting Dendum is a good king, it's just that we aren't sure if its worth the risk." I admit honestly. Ahsoka gives a brief nod of agreement.

 _"Do not underestimate the king's power. He represents hope, and is critical to their success."_ Master Kenobi tells us.

A rebel walks through the hallway past us, and we lower our gaze for a moment, thinking on his words.

"I feel responsible for them." Ahsoka says. I nod in agreement.

 _"I know you do Snips. But always remember, purpose must come before feelings."_ Anakin says.

"I know Master." Ahsoka says.

 _"Step in, only if you must Padawan's. But remember, if this experiment is to be an effective strategy, they must learn to survive on their own."_ Master Kenobi says.

"Yes Master," I respond to him. "So far most of the planning is all Steela, Saw and Lux's work. It's mainly the tension between them that's part of the issue," I admit.

 _"Then they'll need to be able to sort out their differences on their own, to be more effective. If they cannot function together, their roles might collapse, which could jeopardize their success."_ Master Kenobi informs us. We nod our heads in understanding.

"Yes Master Kenobi." Ahsoka responds.

 _"Contact us once you have any further developments."_ Anakin says, ending the transmission.

The two of us sit in silent for a few moments before I stand up, stretching my limbs. "I need a drink, or some rest, something."

Ahsoka stands up as well. "Can't argue with that," she says in agreement.

"All this advising and staying on the sidelines is making me antsy to be honest," I say as we walk towards the main room. Ahsoka scoffs in amusement.

"Well, if you're antsy for action, how do you think I feel?" she asks me rhetorically. I shrug with a small grin.

"Like a stay ready to become a supernova," I reply. She responds with a light punch to the shoulder as we head over to get a small drink, both of us being utterly exhausted mentally.

* * *

In the middle of the night, everybody was still up and gathered in the main room, where a hologram of the area the King's execution would take place was being shown. We had discussed what was going to happen tomorrow, sharing ideas as Steela laid out the general plan for the attack. It wasn't the best idea of a plan by far, but considering the resources and limitations the rebels had, they didn't have much else of a choice for this.

"Do any of you have questions?" Steela asks.

"It's a risky plan." Lux admits. "But it's out best shot."

Lux then looks in our direction. "Ahsoka, will you two join us?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "We can't. We've already been more involved than the Council wanted," she says.

"So we've been instructed to sit this operation out." I finish for her.

The rebels look a little bit let down by our answer. No doubt the help of two Jedi would have increased the probability of success on this mission by a ton. Dono then runs into the room, a little out of breath.

"They have Saw!" she exclaims. "He's alive, but I watched them take him away!"

Lux stands up, a determined look on his face. "We have to save him!" he announces.

The rebels cry out in agreement, and start arming themselves with blasters and grenades, ready and willing to die for their cause. Steela stands at the table, conflicted in her decision, and I pity her in this moment. She has to spare her brother for the greater good. Going on a rescue mission now would only end in tragedy.

"No," she announces, causing the rebels to look at her in surprise.

"We have to save King Dendum. We don't have the time, or the bodies to do both," she says firmly.

"But he's your brother." Lux protests.

"That;s what Saw would want. That's what he would expect." Steela tells them. "And I expect the same from everyone in this room!"

Everybody is hesitant, unsure of what to do. They all want to go after Saw very much, but Steela is right. King Dendum represents the hope and future of Onderon. So I decide to step forward.

"It may be the hard choice, but I agree with the decision." I tell them. "Besides, they'll most likely execute Saw alongside the King as an example, which means you can hit two birds with one stone tomorrow, and rescue both of them."

They all look at each other, agreement to my words on their faces, although they're still reluctant to not go after Saw.

Eventually, the rebels all nod in understanding and place their weapons down, exiting the room to get some rest for tomorrow's big day. Once everyone is gone, me and Ahsoka sit down on the couch, contemplating what to do next.

"I'm sure that took guts." Ahsoka tells me.

"You think I don't have any guts?" I question with a raised eyebrow. In response, she punches me in the gut, causing me to gasp in surprise and pain while she smirks down at me. I look up at her incredulously.

"Owww! What?! Why, would you do that?" I exclaim in disbelief and slight anger.

"Now you don't have guts," she responds calmly with a smirk. I can sense through the bond that its taking her everything to not burst into laughter at my predicament. I probably look pretty pathetic, holding my abdomen as I sit hunched over on the couch, wheezing pitifully.

After a few more moments I manage to recover and throw her a glare that would normally make somebody flinch.

"Why you little 'grooti!'" I growl out. She raises an eyebrow at me.

"Grooti?" she questions. Now I throw her a small grin.

"It's short for Togruta. 'Gruta' to 'grooti.'" I tell her.

She stares at me with a perfect poker face for a few seconds.

"You know I can always punch you in the gut a second time," she offers, holding up her fist.

I immediately shake my head pleadingly. "Oh Force please no." I saw quickly.

She smiles triumphantly at me, and I let off a sigh. "That's what I thought little Jari."

* * *

The next morning, we were all gathered among the crowd, where we had a clear view of where King Dendum and Saw were to be executed. As I predicted, Saw would be executed as an example alongside the king as well, which made the rebel's job easier. Speaking of which, they were currently headed towards the front so they could prepare for their rescue operation. Me and Ahsoka hung back together with our cloaks on to hide our identities.

The king and Saw were lead to the front of the steps by two magna guards and King Rash, as well as a more advanced looking tactical droid. Guess the rumors about a new droid commander were true.

"As your king, I present to you Ramsis Dendum, not as a former king, but as a criminal! Sponsering terrorist acts against the people of Onderon!" Rash states, emphasizing his words with his fists.

"Fear not good citizens, as your leader and protector, I will see to it that you are safe from such villainy!" Rash proclaims. The words ooze from his mouth in practiced ease, his lies easily detectable for a Jedi.

"He has betrayed you! But today, he will pay for those treasonous deeds, with his life!"

The magna guards force Dendum onto his knees in front of the laser machine, and Rash exchanges a few words with him before dropping a piece of fruit into the lasers, and it floats there. The executioner guards then ready their staffs and deliver an electric pulse to the device, slicing the fruit in half. I grimace at the sight. What kind of king would force his citizens to witness a man's head get cut off? It's barbaric I say!

Dendum is then forced to put his head through the laser grid, and the magna guards prepare themselves.

"Ready weapons!" Rash announces, raising his hand. After a few tense moments, he gives the order to execute King Dendum.

Before they could however, Steela is suddenly lifted above the crowd with her sniper rifle, and she takes out the executioners with two well placed headshots. Smoke bombs are then thrown onto the platform, and the rebels rush forwards with their blasters raised. Civilians scream in fear, and the droids open fire out of the smoke blindly, hoping to shoot down the rebels with overwhelming force. Lux bashes King Rash on the head, and he falls to the ground as they surround Dendum. So far so good.

The two magna guards still alive prove to be a tough challenge for the rebels, as they continue to smash people left and right with their superior speed and strength. A droid popper proves to be their downfall however, and they move off the stage.

Before they could leave however, Dono is shot through the chest by a super battle droid, and I widen my eyes in surprise and sorrow at her death. She was probably the most loyal rebel after Saw, Lux and Steela. A group of B2's push through the crowd to cut off their escape.

"Surrender now or die!" the tactical droid demands without emotion.

Me and Ahsoka share concerned glances. It looks like we may have to step in after all.

The rebels all drop their weapons and are forced onto the platform, however there is a change. The people begin to protest, speaking out in favor of Steela's group and demanding the execution to be stopped.

"Calm yourselves the threat is over!" King Rash tries to reassure them, a wicked grin on his face. "See for yourselves as these traitors all endure the same punishment!"

The tactical droid then forces Dendum's head through the laser grid again, and that's when our decision is decided for us.

 _"We have to help them."_ Ahsoka says.

 _"Gladly. I'm gonna call that Seppie King, 'smug fruit.'"_ I reply.

She mentally sighs at my nickname for the king before we move forward quickly, heading towards the platform and pushing people out of our way as gently as we could.

"Ready weapons!" Rash orders, and a new pair of magna guards activate their electrostaffs. The people continue to protest more loudly in defense of the king, and the pair of us take our lightsabers off of our belts, holding them in our hands.

"This snake will not strike again!" Rash proclaims.

"Stop!" a voice calls out. Everyone turns around to see the palace militia rushing for the droids, staffs raised threateningly.

"The only snake I see sire, is you!" the General exclaims.

Seeing the palace militia stopping the execution from happening, me and Ahsoka both stop our advance, lowering our lightsabers. Guess we won't have the thrill of battle after all.

The guards all point their staffs at the droids, and the General aims his at Rash's head. The two exchange words, before the General takes Rash captive, and the rebels are freed from the droids. The crowd all begins to cheer in support of the palace General and Dendum. The rebels lead Dendum out of there, while the General buys them time, using Rash as a shield against droids.

Eventually though, he's the only one left, and the droids immediately take aim at them. Two droideka's roll forward at the tactical droids command, and we can both sense the fear and nervousness from the General, as he is unsure of what to do.

 _"Now?"_ I ask Ahsoka.

 _"Toss me,"_ she says in confirmation. She backs up, and I stand in front of her. Ahsoka then leaps upwards, and I use the force to propel her over the crowd, where she activates her lightsaber, flipping through the air. I follow after, jumping over the people and activating my blue saber as well to land beside her in front of the General. She uses the Force to shove the droids down, and I spin around, releasing my lightsaber at the climax of my spin, sending it flying through the air to slice the two magna guards in half at the same time they flew through the air from Ahsoka's force push.

"Jedi?!" Rash exclaims in shocked anger. The people only continue to cheer harder in support of the rebels of Onderon.

I call my lightsaber back to me and we turn towards them.

"General, follow us." Ahsoka orders him. He nods, shoving Rash onto the ground in front of us, and we hurry through the crowd. King Rash yells for his droids to chase after us and kill us, but the people decide to act, keeping the Separatists back and allowing us to escape the event.

* * *

Back at the hideout, Dendum is helped onto a couch as me, Ahsoka and the General walk into the room.

"Why now?" he asks the General.

"It was time for a new approach milord," he says, looking over at Saw.

"Do I have your loyalty?" Dendum questions.

"And that of the army," he confirms.

Steela looks at him with a smile. "You also have ours. With your rule, our numbers will grow."

Dendum nods gratefully. "Thanks child," he says.

He then looks over to Lux, resting a hand on his shoulder with a kind smile. "Your mother would be proud," he says sincerely.

"Thank you milord." Lux replies with a smile.

"We must first win the will of the people," Dendum says, getting down to business and standing up. "That is the only way. The Separatists will assemble their forces. Count Dooku will want me dead, more than ever."

"We'll have to teach them another lesson!" Saw says, and the rebels all begin to cheer victoriously.

"Ahsoka, Jarik. I knew you two couldn't resist a good fight." Luz says, walking up to us.

"Are we really becoming that predictable dude?" I ask him with a raised brow.

"You both are to me," he says.

The three of us smile at each other happily.

* * *

"The Separatists definitely know we're backing the rebels now." Ahsoka informs Master Kenobi and Anakin. We were sharing our report of the latest development that had occurred.

 _"Then prepare yourselves. The real fight is about to begin."_ Master Kenobi informs us.

"Do you think you could send us some support?" I ask them.

 _"I'm afraid that's still up to the Council Jarik."_ Master Kenobi says.

Me and Ahsoka share concerned looks, but return our gaze back to Anakin and Master Kenobi with confidence. Whatever the Separatists send our way, unless it's Dooku himself, we'll be ready for them.

It's time to free Onderon once and for all.


	43. Chapter 42 - Tipping Points

After the rescue of King Dendum and with the addition of General Tandin's forces, it was decided to relocate the rebel base outside of the city, and move to the Highlands, where a outpost was created, nicknamed the Nest. The addition of more droids under General Kalani's command also added to the need to exit the city of Iziz. Ahsoka and Lux were no flying back to the nest after displaying an inspirational message given by Dendum.

Their flying mount landed on the railing next to where we were all standing, and the two of them dismounted with excited grins on their faces. I once again forced down a small bit of jealousy in my mind. Nothing is going on, for real.

"The people are turning against the droids. There's rioting in the streets!" Lux says happily.

"That's a beautiful thing!" Saw says, patting Lux on the shoulder. Ahsoka takes off her robes and I grab them from her hands with a grin, folding them and hanging them from the railing. She smiles back at me in gratitude.

"We need to keep the fighting to the outskirts of the city." Steela states, walking forwards.

"Less structures, and people." Lux says in understanding.

"But less clankers. Their main force is in Iziz." Saw argues. "We should join the fight down there and take it straight to King Rash!"

Steela looks a little bit upset. "We all want victory but not at the cost of innocent lives! If we fight door to door, no one is safe," she tells him.

"This is war Steela!" Saw continues to argue, trying to make her see his point.

"She is right." Dendum says.

"I agree. The more you draw the droids from the city to the Highlands, the safer the people will be." Ahsoka steps in.

General Tandin bows his head. "My men await your command milord," he says.

"I believe, there is a new contender." Dendum says with a smile. He then looks over at Steela. "You, will lead our forces. Including the royal army. Steela, is now the commanding general."

"Fantastic idea," I reply in agreement. Ahsoka nods with a smile. Steela is in shock, her eyes wide in disbelief and slight awe.

General Tandin is a little hesitant about the idea, but he accepts nonetheless, seeing the benefit of it. "As you wish, milord."

"Your rebels have restored my faith in myself," Dendum continues. "Now, I'm putting my faith in you," he says, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, your Majesty." Steela replies humbly.

Dendum then walks away, flanked by two guards, and Steela looks at us all. "Let's ride," she orders.

With that being said, everyone mounts their flying creatures, moving to take off. Lux goes up to Steela to ask her if she wanted to ride with him, but she walks away without noticing. He gapes, let down and slightly embarrassed, and I smirk in amusement.

 _"Rejected,"_ I tell Ahsoka. She mentally thwacks me across the bond in exasperation.

 _"You gotta give him credit for trying Jarik,"_ she responds with a grin sent in my direction. I give off a shrug as Lux calls his creature, Ahsoka next to him. Seeing that, I follow after Steela instead, and notice how she glances over at Lux for a moment. I catch her gaze and gesture over to Lux mischievously, and after a moment of hesitation, she walks over to him with a confident smile on her face.

Steela grabs Lux's chin and pulls him to face her, before giving him a total kiss on the lips. Ahsoka raises an eyebrow and I pat Steela's ruping (the flying creatures), struggling to contain my laughter at the look on Lux's face. He is utterly in shock, unable to make a coherent thought. I let off a small whistle, which causes Ahsoka to snicker, rolling her eyes at my antics.

"Just in case." Steela tells him.

She walks back over to me, and Lux is still gaping at Steela behind her back.

 _"That was incredible,"_ I remark.

 _"Oh he is so not going to hear the end of this,"_ Ahsoka assures me with a smirk.

"Well that was impressive," I tell Steela with a smirk.

"Of course it was," she responds, mounting the ruping. I climb up behind her, and we take off, heading towards where the main attack force was waiting.

After flying in it's direction, we all landed, and Steela dismounted, going into the battle-phase mode.

"The droid army is almost here. Everyone, get ready," she tells us, pulling out her sniper rifle. Ahsok and Lux were already standing there with us, and the rest of the rebel forces where down at the start of the canyon, ready for the incoming droids. We managed to lure the droids here using a few large groups that would walk around so they would be easily detected, in the hopes of the majority of the droid forces arriving, where the plan was to wipe them out and make freeing Onderon that much easier.

In the distance were two AAT tanks, and massive platoons of battle droids and super battle droids, their marching sound heard from even this great distance. A part of me wonders if the Serparatists designed the droids to purposefully stomp their feet to make their armies seem more dangerous and terrifying.

 _"Ready,"_ General Tandin reports. This was the signal that the rebels were prepared, the main force meant to draw the droids in while small groups would ambush them from the trees.

"Saw, begin your attack." Steela orders him.

A few moments later, a squad of ruping riders led by Saw took to the skies, flying straight for the droids. Saw threw a thermal detonator, his flyers following suit, and they decimated the first couple rows of droids in the explosion. This was the cue for both sides to start firing, red and blue laser bolts flying everywhere. Steela was doing her thing, sniping down droids with perfect accuracy, and the rebels continued their bombardment on the droid forces from the air. So far the battle was going very well. The fact that we had air superiority gave the rebels a massive advantage over the Separatists.

However one of the gunners to our right was suddenly killed in a flurry of epxlosive blasts that seemed to come out of nowhere, as some sort of ship flew by.

"No!" Steela exclaimed.

"Where did that come from?" Lux asks.

"There!" Ahsoka says, pointing in front of us. We look over to see two droid gunships headed straight for us, blaster cannons raised. Steela and Lux fired at the gunships, scoring direct hits, but they continued on without any damage.

"They're ray-shielded!" I exclaim in realization.

"Any ideas?" Steela asks us.

"Yeah, run!" Ahsoka says. One of the gunships opens fire, and we scramble out of the way, heading towards the ruping. However I decide to turn back around and run straight for the gunship.

 _"What are you doing?!"_ Ahsoka exclaims in shock.

 _"Buying you time! I'll be fine!"_ I reply back to her.

I leap off of the rock, landing on top of the droid gunship, which immediately starts flying crazy-like to throw me off. I manage to hang on fortunately, and with my free hand, I pull out my lightsaber and jab it straight through the gunship. It sputters for a moment, slowing down but still continuing onwards, so I try a different approach. With the slowed movement of the gunship, I can stand up straight without having to hang on tightly, so I rush forwards and leap off the side of its head, stabbing its head with my lightsaber. As I fall, the saber goes with me, creating a massive gash in its processor and causing the gunship to spiral out of control and crash into the rocks, exploding.

 _"You're crazy!"_ Ahsoka exclaims, so worried she was angry.

 _"It worked didn't it?"_ I fire back, landing on the ground and cushioning my landing with the force. With that done, I look around and spot Steela, Lux and Ahsoka flying overhead, and rush through the forest in their direction. The sounds of battle are all around me, and I can almost imagine the 212th battalion on the front lines here right now. As I head over to where Ahsoka should be, I can feel the death happening all around me as clear as day. Unfortunately, I'm a little used to the feeling through the force, having served on the front lines as a commander hundreds of times during this Force-forsaken war, witnessing countless clones fall to blaster fire. And now it's happening with actual, people who aren't clones. Make no mistake, I view all clones just like I would any fellow Jedi, but they tragically were bred only to fight and die in a war. Because of that fact, me and Ahsoka have done our best to make the most of our time with the clones not only for us, but for them as well, so that they can have some happy memories to live with.

Eventually I make it to where Ahsoka was waiting, and watch as she puts away a hologram of Master Kenobi and Anakin.

"Are they sending us help?" I ask suddenly, making Ahsoka jump in surprise before she quickly recomposes herself.

"No. The Council still are wary of sending any help." Ahsoka replies in irritation. I gape at her in surprise.

"Are you serious? We pretty much revealed the Republic's involvement by helping rescue King Dendum, and now there's a full scale war going on right now!" I exclaim in disbelief.

"It's just what it is," she tells me. I sigh in frustration as we walk up to Steela and Lux.

"Are they going to help us?" Steela asks.

"No." Ahsoka replies simply.

"What's it going to take?!" Lux questions angrily.

"King Rash rules Onderon! Unless that changes, the Republic can't do anything!" Ahsoka informs them.

"They're pulling back. Cover them!" Steela orders, continuing to fire at the droids. Me and Ahsoka only watch in helpless frustration, sharing growing looks of concern.

* * *

Back at the nest, the main rebel leadership was gathered to discuss what to do next in this situation.

"The Highlands may stop the droids but they won't stop the gunships." Saw says.

"We have to move." Steela says grimly.

"Any word from Master Skywalker?" Lux asks Ahsoka.

"Not yet," she replies. Everyone looks down glumly.

"Knowing him, he'll definitely do something I'm sure," I say to keep their hopes up. It works slightly.

"We're not giving up yet." Steela says firmly. "Stagger our defenses to the camp. Secure the approach. Stay in small teams. Make use of our training," she suggests.

"You really are the best leader among us," Saw remarks proudly. "Couldn't be more proud of you my sister."

"I learned from the best, big brother," she replies with a smile.

"Let's go General!" Saw says to Tandin, who nods, following after Saw as they depart for the battlefield again.

"You have to help us," Lux pleads.

"We'll do all we can to protect you, but we can't fight this war for you." Ahsoka responds. Lux turns away a little bitterly, upset by the situation as he exits the room.

"We wouldn't have made it this far without either of you." Steela says gratefully.

"I wish we were able to do more for you guys," I tell her, however the sound of a ship gets out attention, and a shuttle can be seen outside the nest approaching.

"Looks like we have some visitors," I remark.

The three of us rush out there, and watch as the shuttle touches down on the ground. The rebels all point their blasters threateningly at the hatch, but I gape in surprise as Weequay pirates exit the shuttle, carrying a crate of something down the ramp. Following after them is a familiar face I haven't seen in a while, wearing a red trench coat and green goggles on his cap.

"Don't shoot!" Ahsoka yells out, recognizing the figure.

The four of us stop in front of the crate, and Hondo walks forward, eyeing Steela with a grin.

"Eh he.. well... you could be my new favorite spice," he chuckles with a smirk.

"Yeah I don't think so," Steela says, rolling her eyes.

"Careful pirate," Lux growls dangerously, pointing his pistol at Hondo, who doesn't seem the least bit concerned. I roll my eyes and put a hand on the pistol, lowering it while Lux stares at me in annoyed confusion.

"Alright, cut the crap Hondo. To what do we owe you the pleasure of this seemingly random visit?" I drawl sarcastically, crossing my arms with a raised eyebrow.

Hondo waves a finger at us. "Tsk tsk tsk, oh you should thank me young Jedi! I have brought you a gift from Skywalker and Kenobi!"

The pirates open the crate, revealing a batch of perfectly good looking rocket launchers. I raise an eyebrow in surprise, but also impressed at the bold move.

"The latest from Sienada!" Hondo continues proudly.

"Rocket launchers?" Ahsoka says in surprise.

"Shoulder-fire. Very expensive!" Hondo says, rubbing his fingers together.

"Spice or credits?" I ask him knowingly.

"Very handsomely in- OH!" Hondo suddenly exclaims, a blaster bolt barely missing his head. "Oh my would you look at the time!" he says, watching a trio of commando droids advance, shooting at us as a rebel fires back.

"Well my work here is done!" he says, waving his hand. The pirates immediately head back into the shuttle, taking off without a care. Me and Ahsoka have our hands over our lightsabers incase we need to use them, and Steela whistles for her ruping, which takes off with a shriek. She snipes one of the droids in the head, and we watch as her ruping grabs the other two and throws them off the cliff, where the give off low pitched screams that sound pitiful.

"Ugh, they must have seen Hondo's ship!" Steela says in annoyance.

"It was only a patrol." Ahsoka reassures her.

"We have to get these down to the others," Lux tells us. "Load them up!"

We each take two rocket launchers to carry.

"I hope they work." Steela says in concern.

"There's only one way to find out." Ahsoka says.

"Hondo may be many things, but he never cheats someone off a business deal." I assure them. "ESPECIALLY, when it involves spices."

* * *

Returning to the battlefield, we dismounted and walked over to Saw, who came up to us with helpless frustration showing all over his face.

"We tried everything but we're target practice for those gunships!" he exclaims angrily.

"Now it's their turn." Lux says, handing off two launchers.

"Thank the Jedi," Steela tells Saw, handing him one of her launchers. Saw eyes it in awe, before running into battle with a wicked grin on his face.

"Saw!" Steela exclaims.

Saw kneels on the ground and takes aim with his rocket launcher, firing at one of the unsuspecting ships. The missile hits the ship dead on, bringing it crashing down to the ground in a massive explosion.

Saw laughs in delight. "I love this!" he exclaims.

The rebels begin to cheer at the change of tides, now that they had something to take down those gunships.

"Distribute the rocket launchers, and take out those gunships." Steela says, before her comlink goes off.

 _"Steela! They're attacking the nest! They're after the king!"_ a rebel soldier yells.

"Come on!" Steela says, rushing towards her ruping and taking off for the nest.

"She sure leads by example." Ahsoka remarks.

"What goo will that do if she gets herself killed?" Lux asks rhetorically, climbing onto his ruping. Ahsoka climbs up after him.

 _"I'll stay with Saw,"_ I tell Ahsoka. She nods in my direction.

 _"Good luck,"_ she tells me, flying off.

I turn back to survey the battlefield, and watch as the rebels make good use of their rocket launchers. The gunships notice our new weapons, and try to stay out of the way of the missiles, but to no avail. The cool thing about the launchers is that they also are seeker missiles, which makes them very difficult to evade. While Saw and the rebels deal with the remaining droid forces, turning the tides in our favor, my attention is called away when a few blaster bolts strike near me.

I turn around to see three commando droids headed straight in my direction, killing the occasional rebel in their path. I activate my lightsaber and deflect their shots, leaping forwards. I swing my blade in a wide arc, slicing one in half, but the other two leap over by attack just in time. One of the droids kicks me in the back before I could react, and I fall to the ground. They open fire, and I roll out of the way of their shots and quickly stand back up, swiping my hand with the force. Their blasters are ripped from their hands, but they charge at me without hesitation, and one throws a punch. I lean out of the way and slice the droids arm off before twirling around the other, grabbing it by the head and throwing it into the other commando droid.

The functional droid shoves the armless one off of it, but I slice its head off before it could react, and then stab the remaining droid through the chest. Those things are dreadful.

I turn back to the main battle to see Saw aiming his rocket launcher at the last gunship. "This one's mine," he says gleefully, firing his missile. It hits dead on, causing the gunship to spin out of control and go crashing into a cliff... but upon closer inspection I realize it isn't just any cliff.

A few moments later I see a large boulder break off from the cliff, followed by Steela who manages to grasp onto the last outcropping. I widen my eyes in horror.

"Look!" one of the rebels cries out in alarm.

Saw whips around to see his sister hanging onto the ledge, the drop below her leading to certain death for sure. Lux is on the cliff, trying to reach his arm out towards Steela desperately. Saw runs forward in a panic, tossing his rocket launcher to the side.

"STEELA!" he cries out fearfully. I follow after him, hoping that I'll be able to catch Steela with the Force if she does lose her grip.

Lux suddenly falls forward, rolling off the cliff ledge as he lost his own grip on the rock. I look in shock, before it gives way to relief as Ahsoka catches him, depositing him back on the safer area with the Force. She leaps forward and reaches out with the Force, and Steela is suddenly lifted from the rock towards Ahsoka's position.

Me and Saw both breathe out a sigh of relief. It was going to be ok.

That relief was shattered when a red laser bolt suddenly strikes Ahsoka in the shoulder, and she falters, grasping her shoulder in pain and falling backwards. I widen my eyes in horror as Steela falls with a cry. Dashing forward, I raise my arms, about to call upon the force to save her. I could do it...

Before I'm suddenly struck in the back by a painful metal fist. I fall to the ground and look behind me to see a commando droid looming over me. I kick it away with my feet and look towards Steela again. I reach out with the Force, but this blasted droid stops me again, grabbing my arm and kicking me in the face. I cry out in pain and Saw finally catches up, shooting the commando droid in the head.

With the threat over, I fumble over myself to get to my feet, and look up to hold my arms out again, the Force about to surge from my fingertips... but it was too late.

Steela slams into the ground with a sickeningly thud, the sound of many bones cracking painfully loud in my ears. Me and Saw are standing there, in complete shock, and I feel a rush of horror and disbelief from Ahsoka across the bond.

We couldn't save her...

"STEELA!" Saw cries out with an agonizing scream, rushing towards her body.

The pain is his voice strikes through to my very soul, and small tears start to form in my eyes as Saw kneels down beside her, checking her condition desperately, hoping for any sign of life, but I already know its too late. Steela is gone. I stagger forward on numb feet, standing behind Saw as he cradles Steela's body in his arms. The battle is now over, the remaining droid forces having withdrawn, but nobody is celebrating at the moment. Many good people died in this battle, including Steela, who everybody loved and supported.

I'm barely aware of Lux and Ahsoka landing close by, and only acknowledge them when Ahsoka comes to stand beside me, holding her shoulder, which is still smoking a little bit from the laser cannon.

"It was my fault. I shot that gunship down. It crashed into her position." Saw says, his voice breaking up in clear guilt.

"Saw, it's not your fault." Lux says, tenderly bringing a hand to Steela's face. "She knew what the risks were. We all knew what it would take to free Onderon."

The poor kid is devastated, having lost his mother, and now the one who was in love with. He hasn't dealt with the horrors of war nearly as much as me and Ahsoka have. Speaking of which, I glance over to Ahsoka in concern. I can sense the guilt rolling off of her in waves for being unable to sense the gunship shooting her. i place an arm around her shoulders comfortingly, and she leans her head on me slightly, allowing herself to ease up a little bit as I send her feelings of reassurance across the bond.

* * *

A few days later, the Separatist occupation of Onderon is completely disbanded, and everybody is thriving in the city once again. King Rash was found dead on the throne from a blaster shot to the chest. No doubt killed by Kalani and Dooku after deciding the effort on Onderon wasn't worth it. Master Kenobi and Anakin had returned after news reached them of the conflict being over.

The night after Steela's death, I helped Ahsoka bandage her wound with the cleanest cloth I could find. She grimaced a few times as I applied a small patch of bacta and wrapped her injury, but otherwise was grateful to me for helping her with this.

Now we were all gathered at the palace, where the entire population of the city, and maybe more were watching, ready to cheer in support of the reinstated King Dendum, and Onderon's freedom. Me and Ahsoka, along with Saw, Lux, and a few of the other rebels were in a line waiting to pay our final respects to Steela.

Once it was our turn, we both stood in front of the coffin, mourning for her, and at the powerful example she set of all that was good in the galaxy.

We then walked over to Lux and Saw, and Ahsoka fiddled with her hands nervously, slightly ashamed to be around them right now.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she says sadly.

"Thanks. But its over now. Let's just leave it at that," Saw says bitterly, grief still heavy on him. Ahsoka looks down sadly, and I stand beside her for moral support.

"Steela would be glad. Her sacrifice gave Onderon, its freedom." Lux states.

"But at what cost?" Ahsoka asks. "It's like you once said; many lives get caught in this war between the Republic and the Separatists."

"I did say that once," he admits. "And after watching your heroics and the selflessness of the Jedi, I do believe the Republic is the right side to be on."

"What are you saying?" I ask him.

"Dendum has appointed me the new Senator of Onderon. I will follow in my mothers footsteps, and I will bring us back to the Republic," he says firmly.

"Remember this day, as the day Onderon can be free again!" King Dendum states, standing behind Steela's coffin with his voice amplified for everyone to hear. The citizens of Iziz all cheer happily, glad to be free from Separatist control, looking for a bright future ahead.


	44. Chapter 43 - Friends Forever

A few days had passed since our mission to supervise the rebels of Onderon, and me and Ahsoka were now back at the Temple, resting. Ahsoka's shoulder wound was healing up nicely, and soon enough she didn't have to wear a bandage anymore. But there was still so much that was wrong with her, I could feel it. Her feelings over the bond were flowing with guilt and sorrow, and I decided that enough was enough.

I knocked on the door to her quarters, letting her know it was me over the bond.

"Come in," her voice answers.

I open the door, and it slides up, allowing me access into the room, which in this part belonged to Anakin. I glanced around with a raised eyebrow to see all the droid parts scattered here and there in Anakin's quarters. Well I shouldn't have expected it to be so clean looking that's for sure.

I walk through his room over towards the next one, which belonged to Ahsoka, as Masters and Padawan's shared rooms with each other. There I see Ahsoka sitting on the small couch, reading a holo-book.

"Hey Jarik," she says.

"Hey Sweetie Horns," I answer back, walking over to her. "You alright?"

"Just fine. Why?" she asks me, looking up as I sit down beside her.

"Oh nothing," I reply. "Just the fact that you're sitting here in your room, by yourself with the bond flowing crazily on my end."

She widens her eyes before looking away nervously. "I didn't block those thoughts did I?" she asks quietly.

I shake my head. "No you didn't. And I'm glad you didn't block it either."

She looks over at me with slight irritation. "Are you saying that it's fine to feel this way?"

"No, of course not. But what definitely isn't fine is you hiding it so that I don't know what's wrong." I argue back. She sighs in defeat and leans back against the couch as I take the book from her.

"And reading is definitely not your strong suit," I say with a grin.

"I can read perfectly fine!" she exclaims.

"But you don't like to do that. There are hundreds of other things you'd rather be doing," I fire back.

"Master Skywalker could've assigned it for me to read!" she defends herself. I raise my eyebrow at her with a "did-you-really-just-say-that-look," and she concedes sheepishly.

"Yeah, he doesn't do that much either," she admits.

I nod in satisfaction and place the holo-book on the small table beside the couch before turning my full attention to her.

"So, you want to talk about it?" I ask her gently.

"No, I'll be fine," she says firmly.

"Oh come on, you've done this for me many times, now it's my turn. You shouldn't be feeling this much guilt," I tell her simply.

"But I should! I couldn't save Steela from the fall, even when she was just a fingertip away from my reach!" she says shamefully.

"And it isn't your fault she fell. I wasn't able to save Steela either when she did fall." I remind her.

"At least you had a good reason. You were blindsided by that commando droid to keep you from doing anything," she says bitterly. "If I hadn't dropped her, you wouldn't have been in that position."

"Ahsoka, you were shot in the shoulder by a laser cannon." I tell her sternly. "By all accounts your arm should've been blown off!"

"But I could've sensed it happen! It had to take time to aim at me, there was plenty of time for me to react to it!" Ahsoka argues angrily, wiping her eyes of a small tear.

"Ahsoka, stop." I practically order her, and she flinches from my tone before going still against the couch again.

"Steela's death, was of no fault to anyone except for that gunship. You were blindsided, and I was blindsided," I remind her. "You told me after Umbara that what happened was not my fault, that there was no way I could've known what would happen."

She doesn't react, but I can tell she remembers that talk as clear as day.

"Now I'm going to throw that advice back at you; there's no way you could've known that gunship was still functioning, and no way for me to have reacted properly to the commando droid. Steela knew there was a high chance of death for anyone, and yet she fought on regardless." I tell her. I'm almost surprising myself from how wise I'm sounding.

Ahsoka looks at me with small tears forming in her eyes before she hugs me tightly, and I return it, sending her feelings of comfort over the bond.

"You'll be fine Soka," I say.

"You're such a good person Jarik," she manages to finally say gratefully. I only smile back in return.

* * *

Later that evening, Anakin comes walking into the room after another war meeting with the Council.

"Ahsoka? You in here Snips?" he calls out.

He enters Ahsoka's room and stops in surprise to see us in there together. I was still sitting on the couch with my right arm around Ahsoka, who was peacfull asleep, leaning against me with her head on my shoulder. I was still awake, but just barely. When she had fallen asleep after our hug I was surprised and unsure of what to do, but I just decided to not move so she could rest.

Ahsoka would probably beat me up if I moved anyways.

I glance at him with a small smile.

"She fell asleep this way," I tell him quietly. He crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow.

"Anything I should know about?" he asks just as quietly. I give off a small shrug without moving Ahsoka too much.

"Not really. We straightened everything out just fine. I don't really want to risk waking her though..." I reply.

He gives me a small knowing smirk. "Yeah, she can be snippy whenever she isn't happy with someone."

I nod in agreement.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone then lover boy," he says, walking back to his room. I look over at him in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting we're a romantic couple?" I exclaim quietly.

"No. That doesn't mean I'm not going to tease you about it though," he replies mischievously.

I let off a small sigh of exasperation and close my eyes, ready to go to sleep. As the dull feeling of sleep begins to overtake me, I manage to feel Ahsoka snuggling closer into my side with a content sigh, and I can't help but smirk in amusement. It's rare that Ahsoka gets into adorable moments like these, being the stern, tough girl that she is.

Oh she will never hear the end of it from me and Anakin that's for sure.


	45. Chapter 44 - Awkward Situations

**_REVIEWS_**

 **Professor Etcetera** : _I like how their relationship is developing. Nice and easy. Not many fic writers have the patience for that. A_

 **Me:** _Glad you enjoy it! I've also noticed the same thing as well, since many fanfictions have romance that seems to quick, out of place, or out of character. It's part of why I decided to make my own story!_

 **BraveSeeker3:** _Jarik Shan: Trapped by a sleeping padawan. XD_

 **Me:** _Yup! Ahsoka is so adorable! ;D I love the more casual and friendly types of stories instead of over the top, ridiculous stories of passionate kissing and... other things, meh._

 **Guest:** _I love the type of friendship that both of them have, you have represent a true bond with your OC and the rest of the star wars character_

 **Me:** _Glad you enjoy the character! I've always wanted to read a more realistic and fun story that involves Ahsoka in some way, yet there aren't to many like that out there besides the occasional few really good ones. So I decided to make my own! :)_

 **Guest:** _I thought stella will live, would be interesting see her fighting against the empire and what way will choose Saw without the death of his sisters but anyways, good chapter, as always._

 **Me:** _Yeah, Steela's death is sad and it would've been great if she survived, but I felt as it was necessary, because her death played such a big role in Ahsoka's character development in the show._

* * *

The next morning I slowly opened my eyes, squinting slightly at the light from the sun filtering through the blinds. I let off a yawn and then realized I was laying down on the couch, and Ahsoka was still sleeping next to me. I looked at her for a few moments, unsure of what to do. During the night I guess she moved without realizing it to where her arms were now wrapped around me as if I were a pillow, and her face was buried in my chest.

"Oh boy..." I mutter nervously.

I slowly maneuver myself so that Ahsoka was more leaning against the cushions of the couch, and move to stand up. However I'm quickly brought down as Ahsoka gives off a slightly frustrated and tired moan, and she pulls me back down, snuggling even tighter against me.

I roll my eyes with a head shake of exasperation. Clearly I won't be able to just slip away easily. As adorable and cute as Ahsoka is in this position, I really have to go, since I was scheduled for another lesson with Master Kenobi today.

"Ahsoka..." I tell her, nudging her sleeping form. She groans and buried her face in my robes even more.

 _"Ahsoka!"_ I say across the bond this time. Her reply is full of drowsiness.

 _"Mmmm... stop it... really good pillow,"_ she mumbles across the bond.

Finally I resort to my last method, which will most likely result in some form of physical pain. I take one of her lekku in my hands and hold it up, before squeezing it hard.

Ahsoka immediately springs awake with a yelp, leaping off the couch defensively. Unfortunately she also pulls me with her to the floor, her arms having still been wrapped around me. I land on the floor on my back with a painful grunt, Ahsoka lying on top of me. We stare at each other for a moment before she quickly scrambles off of me, standing up and trying to look more dignified.

I sit up from my spot on the floor and throw her a light glare.

"You awake yet?" I ask sarcastically.

"You could've just woken me up the easy way, or just walked away quietly!" she says indignantly, rubbing her lekku tenderly. "Why'd you squeeze my lekku?" she demands.

I finally stand up on my feet again and cross my arms with a raised eyebrow.

"I did say your name a few times," I reply. "I also tried to slip away without waking you, but you just pulled me back down."

I then throw her a small smirk. "It was actually kind of adorable."

She gapes at me in surprise. "I actually did that?"

"Yup!" I answer cheerfully.

She narrows her eyes dangerously. "You tell anyone what happened here, you are dead to me," she threatens.

I hold my hands up in surrender. "My lips are sealed, but Master Skywalker walked in on us before I fell asleep last night, so..." I trail off, letting her understand what I mean.

Her eyes widened in surprise before it quickly turns to dread. "Oh no, I'll never hear the end of it now," she complains.

"Neither of us will," I deadpan. "Doesn't mean you weren't super cute though."

"I'm not cute!" she cries indignantly, her blue stripes changing color a little bit in embarrassment. I throw her a smirk and head over to the door.

"You keep telling yourself that Soka!" I tell her.

"Oh, just wait until I pay you back little Jari! It is on!" she promises. A grimace forms on my face. I was so not looking forward to that, as she always delivered on her promises.

Oh well, it was so worth it.

* * *

After getting some breakfast from the food hall, I headed over to the training rooms where Master Kenobi was waiting for me.

"Good morning Jarik. Did you have a good sleep last night?" he asks me.

I shrug. "It was fairly decent Master," I reply.

"So I've heard, according to Anakin," he remarks with a hand on his beard. I smile up at him sheepishly.

"I guess Master Skywalker told you about last night right?" I ask him.

He nods his head. "Oh he did, and he was quick amused at the sight. At least it explains why you weren't in your quarters when I got back."

"Yeah, sorry about that Master. I wasn't really expecting to be sleeping there with her during the night. It sort of just... happened." I explain honestly and nervously.

"Apology accepted Padawan. Now, we have a busy day ahead of us. In one week's time from now, you and Ahsoka are being assigned to escort and supervise a group of younglings who are ready to begin the Gathering," he informs me. I widen my eyes in surprise as he continues.

"With that being said, there are some things you must learn about supervising younglings if you are to be successful on this assignment." Master Kenobi says seriously.

I nod in understanding. "Alright Master. So what's there to learn about teaching?" I ask.

He spent the rest of the day instructing me on how to best supervise a group of younglings on this trip, and explained the rules and guidelines that would need to be followed as well. This was certainly going to be quite the interesting assignment for me and Ahsoka.

I'm going to suck so bad, I know it. The four of us always seem to have kriffing bad luck.


	46. Chapter 45 - The Gathering

Today, me and Ahsoka were standing in front of the Crucible, the ship that we once journeyed on together when constructing our own lightsabers. R5 was standing with us as well for support in piloting the ship, as we waited for the younglings to arrive. It was only 5 years ago that me and Ahsoka both attended the Gathering and made our own lightsabers. Now here we both are at age 16 and four months, as chaperones for the next group. Time sure flies by fast huh.

"What a nostalgic moment," I remark with a grin.

She nods in agreement. "Definitely. Hard to believe that we were once the little younglings that we'll be teaching this Gathering."

"You sure you're up for it?" I ask her with a grin. She eyes me warily.

"Me? I'm pretty sure I can handle myself as a teacher much better than you," she retorts. I think for a moment before shrugging in agreement.

"Yeah, I see your point."

R5 then gives off a shrill beep aimed at me, and I frown at him. "Oh really? You really think that?" I challenge him, crossing my arms while leveling him with a glare.

He beeps again and Ahsoka giggles in amusement. I frown even more.

"Don't laugh with him!" I complain to Ahsoka before turning to my astromech. "Hey buddy, I was not some little chump in the Gathering, I was second in the clan remember?" I argue.

He beeps innocently again and Ahsoka smirks at me.

"I agree. I was better," she says proudly.

I roll my eyes and pout with my arms crossed. "Sometimes I wonder whether or not R5 likes you more."

"Well he is cute," she replies thoughtfully. R5 beeps loudly in angered protest and I smirk at him.

"Sorry little dude, but you can't argue with her," I tell him.

Before R5 can complain and argue further with me, the clan of younglings rush towards us eagerly with their backpacks, ready for this little adventure.

"Hurry younglings," Ahsoka calls out. We both go into our more professional modes, but in the kind and gentle professional for the younglings. They all crowd around in front of us, and the Wookiee, whose name we read was Gungi in the class report, let off an excited roar.

"You have proved to be the top of your class, and so now is the time of the Gathering." Ahsoka says. "For a Jedi, there is no greater challenge, or honor."

Gungi roars again, and Petro steps forward eagerly.

"What, is the Gathering Padawan Tano?" he asks her.

Ahsoka glances at me with a nod, and I go to explain. "Petro, Ganodi, Byph, Katooni, Zatt, and Gungi. The time has come for the six of you to construct your own lightsabers," I tell them, holding out my own saber with a smile. For those who have forgotten, my lightsaber has a look of elegance, resembling the Makashi lightsaber form. It's main color is a dark but gleaming silver, with gold trimming and black for the handgrip in the middle. The hilt itself has a slight curve; not as drastic as Dooku's, but more suited for a two-handed grip, yet at the same time made for a Makashi duelist.

Everybody begins to cheer in excitement, smiling with youthful and eager faces, whose innocence has yet to be touched by the Clone War. They all chatter excitedly when Ahsoka interrupts them.

"Be warned, this is no simple task, and many perils lie ahead of you." She then kneels down to be more at eye level with the clan. "Where we are going there is no place more sacred, to the Jedi."

The younglings all shared eager yet determined looks with each other.

* * *

The Crucible exits out of hyperspace, headed for the cold and icy planet of Ilum to start the Gathering. Even being over a thousand years old, the ship still runs smoothly, having been kept in pristine condition by the Jedi every single year for more use in order to ferry the younglings, by mechanical workers and Huyang himself, the droid who by this point pretty much owns the ship.

R5 steers the ship towards the landing site while Ahsoka and I pull on our winter gear, and handing out coats to the younglings in the right sizes. During the trip through hyperspace, we took the time to observe how the younglings interacted with each other and what their personalities were. Petro seemed like the confident, somewhat cocky yet kind Padawan, reminding me a bit of Anakin. Zatt was all about technology and facts, and I could see he even studied up on code and computer lessons that I had written in the archives. Makes me proud. Next was Katooni, who was the most quiet of the group. SHe was very kind, and skilled in the force, however she lacked the confidence that the rest of her clan had. Gungi was an eager Wookiee, who was fascinated with Jedi lore and very friendly. Byph seemed to be the one who was easily afraid, but was also eager to become a Jedi. Last was Ganodi, who was the best pilot of the group, although sometimes liked to confront others.

R5 lowered the ramp and rolled out onto the snow before standing to the side to allow us to pass by. As me and Ahsoka exited the ship, he beeped to me in complaint.

"R5, just be glad you don't have to wait in an icy cave. I'm sure you can handle snow blowing in your joints for a few seconds," I say back to him. He beeps but doesn't protest, not arguing with the fact.

Me and Ahsoka lead the younglings through the snow as R5 re-enters the ship, and make our trek towards the cliffside where the Crystal Caves were hidden.

"More nostalgia," I remark fondly, gazing at the glacier.

"Definitely. One of the proudest moments in my life that I can remember," she says in agreement.

"And what is your proudest moment Sweetie Horns?" I question with a look. She smirks back at me.

"Kicking your butt after you attempted to smash my face with some Beebleberry Ice Cream," she replies in pure amusement. I grimace at the reminder. That was so not my best moment. I was scolded by our clan teacher about manners and politeness for almost 30 minutes.

"Oh... don't remind me," I respond in annoyance and embarrassment.

Eventually, we came up to the glacier wall, where the Crystal Caves and Master Yoda would be waiting for us. Ahsoka kneeled down on the ice and wiped away some of the engraved markings in the thick ice with her hand.

"It's a dead end!" Petro calls out.

Ahsoka turns back with a smirk and stands up again. "Younglings, outstretch your hands and focus the Force. Together, and only together, can we enter," she tells them.

The two of us turn towards the glacier and outstretch our left hands, closing our eyes to call upon the Force. Behind us, the younglings did the same, following our lead. I took comfort in the familiar feeling I got as the Force answered my call, and together we all wove the Force around the cliff wall, and the strong and very thick ice began to collapse in the portions that it was meant to. Admittedly, me and Ahsoka did the majority of it, being more familiar with the door and more powerful in the Force ourselves, but the younglings did help us with it.

The wall collapses in a shower of snow as the sun begins to rise, and the two of us turn back to smirk at the younglings. Gungi lets off an awed and excited roar.

"Now hurry everyone. The sun is starting to rise, which means it is time to begin," I tell them, leading the group into the Crystal Caves.

Inside the Crystal Caves it is very peaceful, the air thrumming with energy in the Force from all the kyber crystals, waiting to awaken when it is time for their chosen Jedi to choose them. Statues and intricate designs of Jedi warriors long past cover the inside, standing in a protective and noble stance. On the ceiling lies the device that would focus the light from the sun through crystals to melt the door. In the middle of the room in a meditative pose sat Master Yoda, who smiles at the eight of us.

Me and Ahsoka move to stand on either side of Master Yoda while the younglings all stand in front of him respectively.

"Master Yoda," Zatt greets.

"The Force, made physical a Jedi is," Yoda begins to say. "Comes great responsibility with that, yes?" he asks them. The younglings all nod in understanding and agreement.

Master Yoda then stands up. "Protect others, how does a Jedi?" he asks, using the Force to pull out and activate his lightsaber, where it floats in front of all the younglings. They all gaze at the lightsaber in awe.

""Build your own lightsaber you shall, but first, harvest your crystal, each one of you must." Master Yoda tells them. They whisper each to each other excitedly.

Master Yoda then deactivates his lightsaber and holds it in his hand. "The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is. Focuses the Force from the Jedi, it does."

He then reaches up towards the ceiling with the Force and opens the door to let in the sunlight from outside, bathing the ceiling in a brilliant yellow glow. He then spins the device up top, turning it so that the focusing crystal shines a beam of light and heat on the top of the ice wall acting as the cave's door. There, the ice all begins to melt really fast, dissolving in a waterfall until the doorway is revealed in golden light.

"if Jedi you are to become, enter the Crystal Cave, you must." Master Yoda says, gesturing to the door with his hand. "Trust yourself, trust each other, and succeed, you will."

The three of us then lead the younglings over to the Crystal Cave entrance, and they crowd around it while me, Ahsoka and Master Yoda stand at the base of the steps.

"Once you have all found your crystals, get out and do not remain in the caves. As the day ends, the door will refreeze in ice and you will be trapped inside." I inform the younglings.

"For how long?" Ganodi asks nervously.

"For one rotation, there will be nothing, anyone can do for you." Ahsoka answers in reply.

"How will we know what crystal to pick?" Petro asks us.

"Only you can know which one is yours," she says with a smile. "Now hurry."

After a moment of hesitancy, the younglings all shed their heavy backpacks and enter the cave. Above the doorway, the sun has already moved a considerable distance, with ice reforming in the cold air the moment the light no longer shines in that spot.

* * *

Around an hour later, the doorway was already a third of the way sealed, and Master Yoda looks up thoughtfully, tapping his cane on the ground.

"I've always wondered what it would feel like to be a Jedi teacher," I said, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"And now that we technically are?" Ahsoka asks me with a raised eyebrow. I shrug in reply.

"I don't know, but it seems like a handful already," I reply honesty. Master Yoda chuckles in amusement.

"Easy, teaching is not, hmm?" he says with a smile in my direction.

"I can honestly say Master I don't know how I'd feel being the one looked up to, or the one with all the answers. "I tell him. "How have you managed it for so long Master?" I ask Yoda curiously. Ahsoka looks at him in interest as well as we turn away from the doorway, which continued to freeze over.

"Much to learn and teach, there always is. Centuries to do so, have I." Master Yoda replies. "Wise I may be, but know everything no one can," he says wisely. WE both nod in understanding when we sense an approaching presence in the Force. I take a moment to sense in on the individual and make a face of amused skepticism.

"Something seems off about this," I mutter to the both of them. Ahsoka and Master Yoda share the same skeptical looks with me before we turn upon hearing Petro's footsteps from the cave entrance.

"Looks like I'm the first back with my crystal," he says happily, giving off a light scoff of cockiness. "That wasn't so hard."

Poor choice of words.

Master Yoda looks up at Petro with a slightly raised eyebrow. "And the others?" he asks.

"Who knows. I didn't want to gloat since I found mine so quickly." Petro replied with a grin.

Master Yoda shakes his head in slight disappointment while me and Ahsoka share concerned looks.

 _"Wow. This is certainly cockiness at its finest,"_ I remark.

Ahsoka agrees wholeheartedly. _"Like a miniature Anakin, but with more ego,"_ she responds, looking down and Petro.

"Show us," she says with crossed arms.

Petro takes out the crystal from his pocket and holds it out in the sunlight for all of us to see. And we saw as it melted right in front of our eyes, and Petro gazes at it in horror and disbelief. I hide my muffled laughter behind my hand, me and Ahsoka sharing our amusement from his expression across the bond.

"A crystal you have found." Yoda states in amusement, pointing his cane at him. "Water, you have brought, hm hm hm!" he says with an amused chuckle.

"But that's impossible! It was my crystal, I'm sure of it!" he protests.

"Hmm. So certain, were you? Go back, and closer you must look." Master Yoda orders him.

Petro looks up at the door hesitantly, unsure of how much time he has. "But the door is already half closed," he says nervously.

"Then you better hurry up before it does close," I tell him.

Petro gazes back at the caves, worried that he might fail and not become a Jedi. He instantly rushes back into the cave as fast as he can, determined to find his lightsaber crystal before it's too late for him to find it. Something that he must learn in these caves is the value of selflessness and patience I'm sure of it.

* * *

As we continued to wait on the younglings, I thought back to my own test during the Gathering. Back in our clan, it was me, Ahsoka, and four other younglings, a Mon Cala boy named Weron, a Twi'lek girl named Rylla, a Mirialan girl named Vifi, and a Sullustian boy named Kurhran. Since we became Padawans, me and Ahsoka haven't really come into any contact with the other classmates of our old clan. We occasionally see them in the halls of the Jedi Temple, but not very often, and the two of us were more attached to each other anyways.

When I was getting my crystal here in the caves, I have to admit it was confusing and I was unsure of what to do. In order to gain my crystal I had to go through of series of trials that tested how level-headed I was. It was only until I realized that by getting frutrasted that nothing was working, did my lightsaber crystal finally call to me with the Force, and we all reveled in our success.

Now as the younglings slowly came back through the door, me and Ahsoka both shared fond memories of our old clan, and we were glad that we had managed to stay together, practically joined at the hip for all these years.

Gungi then ran underneath the freezing ice and roared happily to us, showing his kyber crystal for us to see.

"Well done Gungi," she praises him. "But two still remain."

Gungi turns back to the door and growls in worry, as the ice continues to freeze faster. After a couple more minutes, Ahsoka, MAster Yoda and I sense great anguish coming from the cave. Ahsoka and I share worried looks while Master Yoda closes his eyes with a deep frown.

"Will they make it Master?" Zatt asks worriedly.

"We should help them!" Ganodi states, going to move forward. Yoda stops her with his cane.

"Left the cave you have. Help them, you will not." Master Yoda tells her.

Another few minutes pass, and then a surge of confidence comes from the cave, which us elder Jedi can sense.

 _"Looks like something good happened in there,"_ Ahsoka says with a small smile. I nod in agreement. _"It appears so."_

A few seconds later, Katooni slides through the tiny gap still left in the ice, a confident look on her face, before joining us at the base of the stairs. The ice doors then freezes over, sealing off the entrance completely.

"I have my crystal, but Petro is still inside!" Katooni says worriedly.

"Give up on your friend, do not." Master Yoda states with a confident smile.

 _"After all it's only water,"_ I remark to Ahsoka sarcastically. She mentally snickers at my words.

The ice door then shatters as Petro breaks through it with a yell, rolling to a stop. He holds out his crystal confidently, and the younglings all cheer in relief.

"How did he break the ice?" Ganodi asks Master Yoda in confusion.

"Only water made solid, was the door," he replies. "Easy to break, if you have the will, hmm?" he says in amusement.

An ice sheet is easy enough to break with enough force or pressure, especially if you use the Force younglings," I tell them.

"But, you said we would be trapped!" Katooi says, confused by this.

"Not by the cave, you were, but by your mind." Master Yoda states wisely. "Lessons you have learned. Find courage, you did. Hope. Patience. Trust. Confidence. And selflessness. Yes?" Maste Yoda says, looking at Byph, Ganodi, Gungi, Zatt, Katooni and Petro respectively.

Me and Ahsoka smile proudly at the younglings for their accomplishments today.

"Take your crystal back to the Temple, and keep them safe, young, Jedi." Master Yoda tells them.

The younglings all cheer happily, eager to continue their journey as a Jedi and build their lightsabers as the next step.

 _"What a brilliant and heartwarming performance,"_ I tell Ahsoka in mock dreaminess, sling an arm around her shoulders. She elbows me in the side to get me to move away, and I quietly yelp in the jab.

 _"Don't think I'm still not mad at you for not waking me up properly that one morning,"_ she says. I roll my eyes in exasperation.

 _"Oh come on Soka, that was a week ago! Besides, just admit it. YOu secretly didn't mind that moment,"_ I told her with a confident smirk. She nervously glances away from me.

 _"Maybe just a little bit."_ she admits sheepishly.

I just give her a much wider grin, which forces a small smile on her face as well.

Force, I couldn't imagine a life of Jedi work without her.


	47. Chapter 46 - A Test of Strength

After saying our goodbye's to Master Yoda, me and Ahsoka led the younglings back through the blizzard to the Crucible, and boarded the ship. As soon as everyone was onboard I told R5 to take off, and he complied, sending us into orbit over Ilum as we prepared to make our way back to Coruscant. Me and Ahsoka then entered the training room, where Petro was practicing his blaster deflection skills while the others watched. He pulled off a few twirls with his training saber, blocking the red bolts before smacking the remote with it. The remote slammed into the walls a few times before rolling up to Petro, who picked it up and removed his helmet.

"I call that move the Whirlwind of Destiny," he says proudly.

"Show off," Zatt says.

Ahsoka claps her hands at the demonstration, getting their attention as she walks forward. Petro hands her the training equipment, which she then passes off to me, and I move to put it away.

"Can everyone gather around please," she says with a smile. The younglings all jump up excitedly as me and Ahsoka move to stand behind the counter, the back room of which is Huyang's personal desk and storage place for lightsaber parts.

"You have all successfully passed the Gathering, and harvested your crystals." Ahsoka tells them.

Gungi roars triumphantly as Petro asks his question.

"So, when do we start to build our sabers?" he asks eagerly.

"Everyone place your crystals on the table," I tell them. "Your next lesson begins right now."

They all pull out their kyber crystals and place them on the counter as we prepare to introduce Huyang.

"May we introduce you to the architect and lightsaber designer, Huyang." I tell them, as we move to the side.

From the back shelves comes Huyang, a cranky but smart and happy old droid who has served on this ship for more years than Master Yoda has been alive. His hands are clasped behind his back while his yellow optics eye everyone with a critical stare.

"These are them? I swear they get younger every expedition," he says thoughtfully. "All have passed the Gathering?

"Yes sir." Ahsoka says. Huyang turns to us critically.

"Are you sure?" he asks. I nod my head.

"Wouldn't be here without their crystals if they didn't. Master Yoda supervised them," I tell him. He nods in approval, offering a small "hmph!"

"But he's a droid! You expect us to learn anything from a droid?" Ganodi asks in disapproval. Huyang immediately goes on the search, glaring at the group with his blazing yellow optics while everyone glances around nervously.

 _"She's toast,"_ I tell Ahsoka. She nods in agreement.

"Who said that?" Huyang demands

Ganodi steps forwards confidently with crossed arms as she glares up at the architect.

"Many years I have been on this ship teaching many a Jedi before you and will continue teaching many a Jedi after you!" Huyang exclaims with a glare, walking towards a shelf. "Call me what you want, but inside my memory banks, I contain a record of every lightsaber ever made, and the Jedi who fashioned them."

Huyang presses a button on the desk and activates a hologram, which displays dozens of lightsabers, all of them different in design. the younglings all gasp in awe and wonder at the sight.

"Which will you choose. The simple grip? The curved approach? One inlaid with the bone of a Cartoozeen whale, bastillian ore, or black olk?" he asks the younglings.

"Well?" he asks again, moving behind a drawer and peaking his head out. "From battles of Rashfond, to the peacekeeping of Paliotra to our very own Clone Wars, the lightsaber is a Jedi's only true ally."

 _"Gonna have to disagree on that one little Jari,"_ Ahsoka states.

 _"Definitely,"_ I say in agreement.

"But how do they work, hmm?" Huyang says again, studying one of the crystals on the counter. "Yes, you have brought me crystals but they are all useless unless you give them life. Do you know how to awaken the Force within the crystal?"

Ganodi shakes her head, and Huyang looks around in mock surprise. Me and Ahsoka give him a small smirk of amusement as he pretends to gape at us.

"No?! Then I sugest you listen and learn unless you think of a question this droid cannot answer."

Huyang then notices Gungi, and takes extreme interest and delight in him.

"A wookiee?" he says in pleasant surprise.

"Rare you are to the Jedi. Proud your people must be," he praises, causing Gungi to growl happily. "Unique, just as your lightsaber will be. Hold out your hand, Wookiee."

Huyang holds out both servos to Gungi, who places his left hand in them.

"Describe what you imagine your saber to be," he says.

Gungi offers a series of growls, and Huyang shakes his head. "No no not what you imagine, but what you feel in your hand. Concentrate. What will make you strong in battle, and humble in retreat? What connects with your force?"

This time Gungi closes his eyes and reaches out with the Force thoughtfully, before he closes his hand and looks up excitedly.

"Ahhh yes. Wood. Not a common choice. And only wood from the Brylok tree is as strong as metal. Let me see where we would find that, all the way out here? Far from anywhere, deep in space." Huyang asks himself, moving to the shelves. He opens various containers a drawers, muttering to himself as he sorts through them with his multiple arms, even kicking open a few drawers with his feet to peer inside.

 _"I forgot how ridiculous I found that to be the first time I saw it,"_ I remark with a small grin.

 _"It's still kind of weird even now, especially for the little ones."_ Ahsoka says in agreement.

I glance over at the younglings, who are staring forward eagerly. I give off a small shrug.

 _"I think they're more eager for a lightsaber than they are about how Huyang goes about it,"_ I saw with a grin.

"Ah, here we are," Huyang says happily, bringing a box full of many assorted lightsaber parts and mechanical pieces, setting it on the counter. The younglings all gather around excitedly as Huyang puts together a simple lightsaber design without a crystal as a demonstration of how one is made, showing it off the the younglings. Me and Ahsoka watch the proceeding with small smirks on our faces.

"It is my job before you leave this ship to have everything you need to build your lightsabers, and the knowledge of how to do it. So let us begin, there is much more work to be done."

* * *

As the Crucible continues to float through space with R5 piloting, me, Ahsoka and Huyang continue to supervise the younglings as they attempt to create their lightsabers, following the hologram instructions and using the Force to complete them. Ahsoka stands over Ganodi and Katooni while I survey Byph and Gungi's work. Then Petro's cocky voice gets me attention.

"Witht his lightsaber I'm going to challenge Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Shan to a duel and kill Grievous!" he states with a smirk, tossing his lightsaber around. I glance back with a small smirk on my face.

"Ha!" I exclaim loudly, causing a few younglings to laugh, while Petro looks at me in nervous embarrassment.

 _"Don't go too hard on him little Jari,"_ Ahsoka says in amusement.

 _"Relax I won't kill him... much,"_ I reply with a smirk.

"I didn't achieve the title of Prodigy Duelist because I was eager to prove myself, young Petro, nor was it because I was in a rush." I tell him with a mischievous smirk, patting the saber on my belt. "But I'd be happy to demonstrate!"

Petro looks at me with wide eyes and a nervous chuckle, before Huyang gets in his face and holds out his hand expectantly. Petro hands over his lightsaber and Huyang opens up the middle to reveal the wires and kyber crystal inside.

"The only person you are going to kill with that my young friend is yourself. You have inverted the emitter matrix which will cause the power grid to backfire!" Huyang tells him sternly, reconnecting the saber together while Petro gapes in shock. Huyang then hands it back to him.

"Light this, and all that will be left of you and your lightsaber will be your crystal. Start again, and this time, PLEASE follow the diagram."

We continue to observe the younglings, when the ship suddenly shakes with a large boom. Lightsaber parts scatter around the place as the younglings glance around nervously.

"What was that?" Katooni asks fearfully.

"I don't know. Stay here. LEt's go Jarik," Ahsoka says.

I nod determinedly, and the two of us race out of the room towards the bridge, where R5 is piloting.

"R5, what's going on?" I ask him. He beeps quickly at us, and the ship rocks again.

"Where!?" Ahsoka says, looking out the window. In front of our eyes is a large saucer ship design, and I immediately groan in disbelief.

"Pirates," I mutter in annoyance.

The saucer fires off a few missiles, striking the back of the ship and causing it to rock again.

"They're aiming for the hyperdrive. Get us out of here R5!" Ahsoka says, holding on the the control panel. R5 complies all to eagerly, and connects his arm with the socket, turning the ship away from the pirates starship. Unfortunately, they shoot another barrage of missiles, striking part of the ship. The lights then go dark and we stop moving in space, completely helpless as the ships systems groan.

"I don't like the sound of that." Ahsoka says worriedly.

"They must've hit the electrical systems!" I exclaim in frustration.

"Aw great. R5, you stay here. We'll go look for the younglings," she says. R5 beeps in agreement, not wanting to risk being dismantled by pirates.

Me and Ahsoka rush out through the ship, the lights mostly out as the emergency power source comes on. We then turn a corner to see one of the hatches being forced open, showing two Weequay pirates with dangerous looking weaponry. Hiding behind the wall, we then go another route, closing the door behind us before finding the younglings being led by Huyang.

"Younglings, younglings!" Ahsoka calls out. They all turn to us, fearful and uncertain of what is happening.

"What's going on? Who's attacking the ship?" Ganodi asks.

"Pirates. Most likely here for kyber crystals." I answer in reply.

"Pirates? They'll kill us all!" Ganodi exclaims. Byph mutters in agreement.

"Are you certain they're after the crystals?" Huyang asks me. I shrug my shoulders.

"What else would a Jedi ship carry of value? It isn't Separatists so it's not leverage or information they're after." I reply honestly.

"Fair point. Perhaps we should hide in the ventilation shafts?" Huyang suggests.

"Follow me," Ahsoka replies, opening the vent cover. We lead the younglings all down there, while Petro walks up to us determinedly.

"Hiding is for cowards. We should stand and fight!" he says bravely.

Ahsoka scoffs. "Oh, we're gonna fight. Just not the way they expect."

The door panel at the end of the hall then starts getting cut through in a shower of orange and purple sparks.

"Now hurry!" Ahsoka says, waving them forward.

"Is this part of our training?!" Katooni asks hesitantly.

"It is now Katooni," I tell her as Ahsoka pushes her underneath the vents. Behind us, the door is finally cut through, generating a lot of smoke, and me and Ahsoka leap down into the vent just as they start to walk forwards.

"Shh," Ahsoka tells the younglings as the pirates walk above us.

"Hondo says to find the kids, and bring them to him," one pirate exclaims.

I roll my eyes and shake my head in irritation. Of course it had to be kriffing Hondo. Oh was I going to give that guy a piece of my mind. I give off a quiet groan of irritation.

"Dead, or alive?" another asks.

"Yes!" the pirate replies, and they all laugh at the thought. Once the pirates move past us, Ahsoka speaks up reassuringly.

"We must have courage young Jedi. Ganodi and Zatt, you two need to get to the cockpit, find R5 and secure it. The rest of you, take Professor Huyang, and seal yourselves inside the hold, and wait for our command," she tells them.

"What about you two?" Petro asks us.

"I'm going to head to the engine room and reroute enough power so that we can break free of the pirate's ship," she replies.

"And I'll hopefully be giving Ohnaka a piece of my mind," I tell them, cracking my knuckles.

"But, what about all the pirates already on board the ship?" Katooni asks.

Ahsoka sighs. "Once, the docking tube is ruptured, and the ships pull apart a vacuum will be created, which will suck the pirates off our ship and into space."

"Genius idea my friend." I comment.

"But will we be sucked into space?!" Ganodi asks in confusion.

"No you won't. The cockpit and the hold will both be sealed off from the rest of the ship, and still have air for you all to breathe." I explain.

"And most importantly, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT, engage the pirates." Ahsoka says firmly. "Your only job is to stay hidden. Do you understand?"

The younglings all nod, although I see a little bit of hesitancy from Petro, and I give him a suspicious stare.

"I'm watching you Petro," I state, giving him the "watching you" gesture with my fingers.

"Why me?" he asks defensively.

"Because you're thinking in the way that I may think," I state with a small grin. "Now go."

The younglings all nod and begin to crawl through the vents towards their assigned positions. Me and Ahsoka give each other assured glances before splitting up, each of us having an idea of what the other is going to do.

* * *

As I make my way through he vents, deciding on my next course of action, I notice a small smoke grenade dropped inside behind me, releasing a fowl cloud of smoke. I immediately cover my mouth and nose and take a quick breathe, before holding it. Whenever I need to take a breath, I cover my face with my hand, inhaling the mostly unfiltered air within my palm before holding it again. It means I'm going on much less air than usual, but it's effective in keeping me running.

 _"They figured out our little trick Soka. Be careful of any smoke bombs,"_ I warn her.

 _"Got it. I can already see the smoke behind me,"_ she replies.

A few moments later, I hear a small explosion going off and roll my eyes, recognizing it as a damaged lightsaber failure. Either Petro tried to take on the pirates, or he somehow managed to brilliantly fool them and take out a few. I'm not sure which is more believable.

However this also means that the younglings want to fight, which is not good. I activate my comlink and call R5.

"R5, where are you? Did Ganodi and Zatt make it to the cockpit?" I ask him.

He beeps an affirmative in reply, before Ganodi answers the line as well. _"We're here Padawan Shan. But the others haven't reached the hold yet,"_ she tells me.

I sigh in exasperation. "Yeah, I heard as much. How's Ahsoka?"

 _"She just rerouted power to the engines, and is headed for the rest of them,"_ she says.

"Alright. You, Zatt and R5 remain in the cockpit. Me and Ahsoka will get the rest of them to the hold," I tell her, closing the transmission.

I then kick the vent open, and then rush through the hallways, following the heaviest grouping of force-signatures, which is where the younglings must be at. On the way I come across a pirate, who takes notice of e with a yelp and begins firing his rifle. I dodge his wild shots with practiced ease, leaping onto the side of the wall and then flipping back to the floor before jumping straight at him. I kick the pirate straight in the face, most likely braking his nose before continuing onwards, leaving him there to howl in pain. I come across another junction and then find the younglings there, Huyang quickly ushering them in the direction of the hold.

"The heck have you guys been doing?" I question in bewilderment, noticing just how out of breathe they all are.

"Uhh, we can explain later." Katooni answers nervously. I roll my eyes in exasperation before moving forwards.

"Alright fine. Let's just get you guys to the hold." I tell them.

 _"I found the younglings. I think they tried to be brave or something,"_ I tell Ahsoka.

 _"Alright. I'm almost there Jarik,"_ she replies.

Petro opens the next door, and we move through, only to stop in surprise upon noticing the main force of the pirates, which includes Hondo standing there. Hondo turns to look at us with a smirk, which turns to surprise upon seeing me.

I roll my eyes in annoyance. "How typical," I mutter, crossing my arms.

"Jarik! My old friend! I didn't know you were here!" he says in surprise.

"Well, I'm here, one very displeased Jedi Padawan ready to beat some sense into you," I tell him. The pirates all aim their weapons at us, and I take my lightsaber hilt into my hand with a smirk. Behind us, a trio of pirate s rush down the hall in our direction, laughing at our situation before Huyang slams the door in their face, locking it with his blowtorch.

"Jarik, your words hurt me! All I want are my crystals for the black market!" he states with a greedy grin. "After all, they are priceless!"

Ahsoka then opens another hatch, and uses the force to throw a large group of pirates into the opposite wall. She then levels Hondo with a fierce glare.

"Hondo. The Jedi Council will not, take kindly to this attack." she states angrily.

"Ahsoka. How will they know who is responsible, if there is no one left to tell the tale?" he says.

"Is that a threat?" I challenge with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"You seem less hospitable, then our last meeting," Ahsoka states with a grin.

"My mood, is based on profit. And today, I am in the mood, for crystals!" Hondo exclaims gleefully.

"You want the crystals?" she asks, patting her lightsabers before bringing them out. "Come and get em."

I activate my lightsaber as well, moving to stand beside Ahsoka while Hondo waves his men forward. A pirtate leaps at Ahsoka, swiping a large scythe, and she dodges before kicking him away. Another moves forward, firing his blaster, and I deflect the shots before grabbing the hand holding the pistol and throwing him into the wall.

 _"I've got Hondo, you make sure they get into the hold,"_ Ahsoka tells me when Hondo rushes forward, electrostaff blazing in purple electricity.

 _"Got it,"_ I say with a nod.

"Alright younglings, get into the hold," I tell them, waving them forwards as Ahsoka battles Hondo. Huyang limps forwards, waving his hand while the younglings follow after them. "hurry, hurry!" he says.

"What about Ahsoka?" Petro protests. I push him along.

"Just trust us, she'll be perfectly fine, now get in there!" I tell him sternly.

Petro nods and moves forward, Huyang about to follow when a pirate shoots his head off.

"How dare you," Huyang growls out, advancing towards the pirate, who continues to shoot his limbs off.

I rush forward and slice his blaster apart, and then use the force to slam him unconscious into the wall.

"That meddling vermin shot my limbs off!" Huyang states angrily, his remaining body still moving towards the pirate. I shove it away with a roll of my eyes.

"Just get inside the hold with the younglings Professor. We'll handle the rest of the pirates." I order him as Petro and Gungi gather his limbs.

Once the younglings disappear around the corner, I raise my saber again and rush through the hallways towards the large commotion happening. On the way I spot the trio from before that Huyang locked out, and they turn to me with savage grins.

"Surrender and you might not get hurt little Jedi!" the fat one threatens with a smirk.

I roll my eyes in exasperation. "Clearly Hondo hasn't told you of my talent," I retort.

The three of them rush forwards, and I charge straight at them as well, leaping through the air. They swipe their weapons at me, but I flip over them before landing behind them, sweeping the feet out of one of the pirates. He falls to the ground with a cry, and the second pirates turns to me, but I kick my leg upwards in a move I learned from Ahsoka, catching him straight in the jaw, and most likely breaking it from the armored boots that I'm wearing. The fat pirate shoves me backwards and fires his shotgun blaster.

However I use the force, shoving my arm out every time he attempts to fire, knocking his aim off course while getting closer. Once I'm right next to him, I reactivate my lightsaber and slice the blaster in half before throwing him against the door with the Force, knocking him unconscious. The ship then rocks violently, and I stagger to maintain my balance. A few moments later, a vacuum suddenly flows through the entire ship, sucking me and the pirates along with it.

"Kriffing Force, dang it!" I exclaim furiously, just managing to place my lightsaber back on my belt. By this time the pirates have regain consciousness and are now screaming in fear. As I float through the corridors, I take the opportunity to kick them further down the hallway, making them head towards the vacuum faster. Soon it's just me and one pirate left, and we bounce off a wall, right in front of the docking clamp.

There Ahsoka is waiting, hanging onto the wall with narrow eyes, and she uses the Force to throw the pirate down the tube. Just as I'm about to enter it, she catches me with the Force and then shoves me towards the wall, where I finally grab on.

"I owe you one Soka!" I exclaim over the sound of the vacuum.

"Don't thank me yet!" she yells back.

We peer into the docking tube, where Hondo and the rest of his band of pirates are hanging on, screaming loudly. Me and Ahsoka raise our hands and use the Force to shove them back onto their ship, where they continue screaming wildly.

Ahsoka then jumps forward towards the dock entrance, and smashes his palm onto the closing button.

"We're all clear! Make the jump to hyperspace!" she yells.

Just then, more screaming gets my attention and I look behind me to see a pirate flying in my direction. He just barely hits me, but then slams into Ahsoka.

"AHSOKA!" I exclaim in shock, watching helplessly as she is forced into the pirate's ship. I raise my hand to reach out with the Force, determined to bring her back, but then the door closes, locking her out of our ship and onto Hondo's vessel.

With the vacuum no longer sucking the air out, I'm just standing there in shock, and then stumble as the ship goes into hyperspace. I grab onto the wall for support.

"Kriffing s-!" I exclaim furiously, smashing my hand into the wall.

 _"Padawan Tano, Padawan Shan are you there? Come in please? Ahsoka! Jarik!"_ Ganodi's voice says over the intercom. I do my best to shake myself out of my stunned anger, and move to answer the call. Now I'm the sole person in charge of the group, and it would be bad for me to break down in front of the younglings. Ahsoka wouldn't want me to do that.

"I'm here Ganodi, but not Ahsoka," I manage to say.

 _"What do you mean?!"_ Ganodi exclaims fearfully.

"She was dragged onto Hondo's ship after a pirate slammed into her from the vacuum." I state gravely, narrowing my eyes in determination to rescue her.


	48. Chapter 47 - Bound for Rescue

After explaining the situation to the rest of the younglings, we were all in the cockpit of the ship doing different jobs. Gungi, Zatt and R5 were doing their best to repair Huyang, while the rest of the younglings were at the computer terminals, trying to get power back. I was seated at the com station, pressing a few buttons to send out a transmission for help.

"This is Padawan Shan on the Crucicble, calling for the Republic fleet, please come in," I spoke into the com.

 _"This is General Kenobi, we have your transmission."_ Master Kenobi's voice responds. I let out a sigh of relief as the rest of the younglings gather around in awe.

" _The_ , General Kenobi?" Petro asks me in shock. I nod my head, setting up the transmission. Master Kenobi's form appears on the hologram, and his hand is on his beard as ever.

 _"It's good to see you Jarik. Is everyone else alright?"_ he asks me.

"We could be better Master, but we're in a bit of trouble," I tell him. He raises a brow at me, crossing his arms.

 _"And what could have you and Ahsoka gotten yourselves into this time?"_ he asks me.

"That's the problem Master. Hondo attacked our ship on the way to Coruscant from Ilum, hoping to seize the kyber crystals, and severely damaging the ship. During our escape he managed to take Ahsoka hostage." I explain worriedly. Master Kenobi gives me a sympathetic look.

 _"I see your dilemma. I'm dispatching Cody and Boil to bring you all back. We shall deal with Hondo on Florrum,"_ he replies.

"Will Ahsoka be alright?" Katooni asks in worry.

 _"Hondo would be even more of a fool than I thought to hurt her. He knows me, Anakin, Jarik and Ahsoka personally."_ Master Kenobi reassures the younglings. _"Once we've picked you up, we'll focus on rescuing Ahsoka."_

"Yes Master," I respond, a little disheartened.

"But we can rescue Ahsoka much faster than you can!" Petro protests.

 _"You've shown great bravery younglings but these pirates-"_ Master Kenobi says before being cut off by Petro.

"It was us who managed to drive them from the ship!" Petro argues.

"Petro-" I start to say warningly.

 _"You will not jeopardize your safety trying to be heroes. Understood?"_ Master Kenobi says sternly.

"Yes Master," the younglings all reply glumly.

"Are you sure I can't attempt to infiltrate Hondo's base Master?" I ask him.

 _"I know how close the two of you are Jarik, but you need to remain with the younglings for the time being,"_ he says. I sigh but nod in agreement.

"Alright. We'll do it your way Master," I respond, closing the transmission.

"Why can't we go after Ahsoka? We can rescue her I know it!" Petro exclaims, the others nodding in agreement. I let off a tired sigh.

"Believe me younglings I would like nothing more. However Master Kenobi will be able to handle it. And like he said, Hondo wouldn't dare do anything to put Ahsoka in harms way without risking Master Skywalker's wrath, or mine for that matter. Alright?" I tell them firmly. They all nod reluctantly and I offer them a small smile.

"Good. In the meantime, get back to work on constructing your lightsabers while we wait for Cody to arrive," I suggest.

They all brighten up a little bit and rush back to the training room to continue work on their lightsabers. I turn back towards the console and put my head in my hands in exhaustion. I wish I could be so certain that Ahsoka would be okay for sure.

* * *

In another room of the ship, I was kneeling on a cushion in meditation, doing my best to release my worries into the Force and calm myself to stay strong for the younglings. They were over in the next room constructing their lightsabers, and R5 was with them, fixing up Huyang. At this point, I was starting to get a little bit worried since Cody hasn't shown up yet. Judging on where the Negotiator was positioned, Cody should've gotten here by now. So either they forgot about us, which is definitely not a possibility, or they were under attack, or some conflict was forcing them away from us.

Feeling along the bond me and Ahsoka held, I gave it a gentle tug, and she responded, albeit weakly. That was good enough for me. Despite having a complete Force connection through our bond, it was still affected by distance, and while we were close enough to Florrum that we could interact with each other's presence, we couldn't speak or share any feelings. The most important thing right now is that she was alive and not in any real pain, which meant Hondo knew hurting her was a bad idea.

Right then I felt a tug on myself from the Force, and I was then pulled into a deep trance, smokey blackness and stars rushing by me at high speeds. When finally stopping, I opened my eyes to a strange world.

 _The scenery that surrounded my view was almost a star field, with a strange transparent pathway in front of me, only noticeable by two pure white lines on either side of me. Covering my surroundings was only shadow, and I had no idea where I was._

 _The call of a convor got m attention, and I looked up to see the same, creamy white and green convor flying overhead once again. It flapped its wings and flew in my direction, stopping to hover just a few feet away from me, staring with intelligent eyes._

 _"You again?" I ask. "Who are you? Why do you appear to me?"_

 _The convor chirps loudly before flying away from me, and I get the urge to follow. However the convor starts to get further and further, so I pick up the pace, trying to catch up when it eventually disappears. I stop in confusion, unsure of what to do when I get the feeling of being flung through space, thousands of star systems passing by me every second. When I stop again, the black shadows in front of me glow a slight red, and a murky and not very clear image is presented to me._

 _ **"How's your wound?"** a voice asks._

 _Immediately, I shiver at the darkness I feel radiating from it. Someone replies to whoever that was, but the noise is to distorted to make out. Even the voice from the dark presence isn't clear. I get a glimpse of someone in gold colored clothing stand up in a reddish colored room._

 ** _"The mighty, Kylo Ren. When I found you... aaaah... I saw what all masters live to see... Raw! UNTAMED power! And beyond that... something, truly special."_**

 _I shiver from that darkness once again, desperate to pull away, not understanding what I was seeing. It was as if the Son was pressing down on my mind with all his might._

 _ **"The potential of your bloodline, and a rival to Shan's ancestry... a new... Vader..."** the dark figure continued to speak._

 _I was in shock. My ancestry?! What could this mean? What was this vision showing me? And who are my ancestors?! I haven't been able to find any information on my family name from any of the Temple Archives!_

 _The scene disappears into shadow, and the stars fly backwards past me at an alarming rate. I look around quickly, tense and unsure of what's going to happen..._

I open my eyes with a gasp, coming out of my meditation as the Force recedes back to its regular state. I almost fall forward but catch myself with my hands, panting heavily in exhaustion. What did I just witness?! I had no idea who that was or why I was seeing it in the first place! My thoughts immediately strayed to the vision I had with me, Ahsoka and some kid named Ezra just before Onderon, but I shook my head. While both dark figures were extremely powerful in the dark side from the short glimpses I was shown, I don't think they were the same. They sound different, and just overall feel different.

Unsure of what to think, I decide to focus on my visions later and occupy my time with the younglings to distract me. Maybe they've completed their lightsabers. I exit the meditation chambers and head over to where everyone else should be.

"We go to Florrum, let the engines cool and rescue Ahsoka," I hear Petro's voice say confidently.

At that moment the door opens to reveal the younglings huddled together, and they all stare at me in surprise and nervousness, a small hint of guilt shining through. I cross my arms with a raised eyebrow.

"Planning a rescue mission are we?" I ask them.

They all look at each other hesitantly before Petro looks at me with determined eyes. "We have to. We can't just leave Ahsoka with the pirates, especially since they've forgotten about us," he says.

"Oh they haven't forgotten about us. The only reason that could keep them from being here by now is if they were under attack, which I sense to be the case." I inform him.

"Oh," he responds sheepishly.

"As for the rescue mission," I start to say bringing a hand to my chin, copying Master Kenobi's mannerism. "Zatt, what did you say the condition of the ship was again?"

"The coolant vents are damaged, and if we don't land and allow them to reset, the engines will explode," he informs me. I nod in agreement.

"Well we certainly don't want that," I say in agreement. "Alright, off to Florrum!"

The younglings all look at me in surprise. "Wait, really?" Katooni asks, Gungi letting off a questioning roar.

"It's like he said, the engines will explode if we don't land. However, if this is going to work you all have to follow my lead. I'm not letting you go off to do something stupid. Alright?" I ask sternly. They all nod eagerly.

"Yes Padawan Shan," they respond. I nod in satisfaction and head to the cockpit.

"R5, keep repairing Huyang will you?" I call out. He beeps back to me loudly and I roll my eyes.

"Hey, don't lose your temper just fix him, or you won't get that oil bath!" I tell him. As we walk away Huyang speaks to R5 angrily.

"If I weren't in pieces I would turn you into a scrap pile!" Huyang says angrily. R5 only let's off an amused laugh before continuing with the repairs.

* * *

The Crucible floats toward the planet Florrum, occasionally sparking or leaking gas on the outer hull. I guide the ship in the direction of the general area of where Hondo's stronghold should be.

"Florrum," Ganodi states, gaining the rest of the younglings attention as they gather around to gaze at the brownish orange planet.

"Guess we're in the right place." Katooni says.

"Only Hondo would choose a place like this to build his stronghold," I tell the younglings. "And be mindful of the fact that it will most certainly hold a lot of scum and villainy," I remind them with a small grin.

"How did you even meet these pirates Padawan Shan?" Zatt asks me. I give off a shrug.

"I don't know. Apparently Hondo took Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker and Count Dooku captive, before they escaped. That somehow set up a small truce between Hondo and the two of them, Master Kenobi especially." I reply with an amused smirk.

"That's crazy!" Petro says, and I nod in agreement, guiding the ship to the ground in the desert plains. I make sure to land far enough away from their stronghold so that Hondo doesn't detect us. Once that's done, the younglings head into the training room to prepare for the mission while I grab a spare Jedi cloak from the storage room. Hondo would surely recognize me, but he hasn't had enough experience with the younglings, which works to our advantage. I then head over to the younglings, opening the door.

"Everyone ready?" I ask.

They all nod eagerly, ready for some action. With a smile, I put on my cloak and head towards the hatch. "Then let's go kids!" I say cheerily.

"Why do you have a cloak on?" Zatt asks me in confusion.

"Because Hondo will easily recognize me if I'm spotted," I respond.

"But won't the pirates recognize us too?" Katooni asks worriedly. I shake my head.

"Hondo is really the only pirate of the bunch that bothers to remember other people that he meets, specifically the four Jedi he interacts with, which includes me. And if all goes planned, he won't recognize you I'm sure," I state with a grin.

"Sounds good to me," Petro states with a grin.

"That's the spirit," I tell him with a smile, pulling my hood up over my face. I press the button to lower the exit ramp and walk out into the desert. I take a look around as the younglings exit behind me, Katooni and Zatt taking at look through their binoculars. I grimace slightly at the similarities between Florrum and Geonosis, but it doesn't bother me too much. The bugs planet is much worse than this.

"I don't see anything, there's no one. Are you sure we even landed near their base?" Katooni asks.

"Well we couldn't land to close could we?" Petro says rhetorically. I close my eyes and feel along the bond for Ahsoka's general direction as Zatt pulls out a datapad.

"My scanner's indicating a large power source, that way," he states, pointing in a certain direction. After a few more moments of contemplation, I open my eyes and nod in agreement.

"Zatt's right. We'll go in that direction," I tell the younglings. They all nod in understanding, although Katooni is a little reluctant.

"What's our plan for getting into the base Padawan Shan?" she asks me.

"I'll fill you all in when we get there. Theoretically it should work, unless something crazy happens or an opportunity swings by for us to sneak in," I say.

With that being said, we continue our trek through the desert in the direction of Hondo's fortress, as I contemplate the best way to go about rescuing Ahsoka from a band of pirates, with a bunch of Jedi younglings who would stand out like a Sith Lord in the Council Chambers.

* * *

About an hour through our walk, we stop for a moment to take a small breather while Byph looks through his binoculars. I cross my arms with a thoughtful frown on my face. Maybe I could have landed a little bit closer to the base...

Byph chatters excitedly and Petro walks forward. "A ship? What kind?" he asks, looking through the binoculars. "The side of the ship says Priego's traveling World of Wonder," he says.

"A traveling carnival?" I muse aloud, a grin forming on my face. Petro notices.

"Are we going to use this to get into the pirate base?" he asks me eagerly. I nod my head with a smile.

"That's exactly what we're going to do. Much more efficient, and we'll have a less likely chance of getting caught." I tell the younglings with a smile.

"So what's the plan?" Zatt asks curiously.

I gather the younglings around and explain the plan. "Alright. Since I can't let myself be seen by Hondo, you five are going to join up with this little circus in order to sneak in. I'll be with you guys the whole way."

"But how are we going to join a circus?" Katooni asks in confusion.

"You all participate in group practices of athletic ability and skill for your tests correct?" I ask them. They all nod.

"Perfect. If you show off your skill to them, they'll let you join no problem. Can't get better circus performers than ones who actually have proper acrobatics." I say with a smirk.

"Right!" They exclaim in agreement.

"Ok. Hand me your lightsabers, since they'll give off your identities in a nanosecond." I say.

The younglings don't protest, not even Petro as they all understand the reasoning behind that, and are all old enough to realize how much a lightsaber will give someone away. With that taken care of, they rush forwards to intercept the ship, and I sneak along the terrain to get behind them, using my brown cloak as an advantage in the brown dirt. Once the ship stops, and the younglings gain the carnival employee's attention with a demonstration of their abilities, I dash forward, making sure the younglings notice so that they know I'm watching, and leap onto the ship, hiding myself on the side in a small corner. Once the ship takes off again, I manage a small grin to myself. I can't normally say this, but I have to admit this is one of the much weirder missions I've been a part of, much less led.

* * *

We arrive at Hondo's fortress by nightfall, and the members of the carnival immediately go into action, releasing their different animals and performing simple tricks to get the crowds attention before the real show begins. A whole bunch of the pirates are just insanely drunk, cheering wildly and doing crazy things that would make even Master Windu cringe a little bit. Hondo is carried forwards to the front by his band, sitting on a chair like a throne before he's plopped in front of the circus. Ahsoka's lightsabers are on his belt, and I scowl at Hondo in irritation, not caring that he woudn't notice.

I sneak along the outer hull of the ship, using the shadows to my advantage and keeping everyone's lightsabers hidden in my cloak. Quite a... "fine collection," HA! Kill me now.

I open a small hatch in the ship and knock on the metal to get the younglings attention. They all rush forward to my spot, decked out in their performing costumes.

"Are you guys ready?" I ask them quietly. They all give me determined nods, ready to do their part like any true Jedi. "Alright. While you pull off your best performance, maybe do something from the Jedi Temple, I'll sneak in and free Ahsoka."

"Are you sure we can't help you? We can fight" Petro says eagerly.

"I'm not doubting your abilities, but you must have patience. Your performance is important in keeping the pirates distracted, making it easier for me to free Ahsoka," I tell them before thinking a little bit. "If you wish to help even more, see if you can snag Ahsoka's lightsabers from Hondo during your performance."

"How will we do that?" Zatt asks nervously.

I give him a confident grin. "I know you guys can think of something."

Cheering gets my attention as I glance at the crowd before backing out of the ship. "Alright, time for your performance younglings. Make Ahsoka proud!" I state with a smile before leaping off the ship, but not before leaving their lightsabers with them.

"Where is my Jedi?! We don't want her to miss the show huh?" Hondo called out, making me stop with narrowed eyes. I watch as two pirates bring Ahsoka forwards, forcing her onto her knees off to the side. Her hands are bound and she looks a little malnourished, but other than that she seems perfectly fine, much to my relief. Then the younglings come forward as the circus owner waves their act up. Ahsoka's eyes widen in disbelief and dread, recognizing them instantly.

I take the pirates distraction to sneak around the crowd, everybody to drunk to bother paying attention to someone wearing a cloak. As I'm doing that, I notice Hondo standing in the midst of the younglings, swaying on his steps, so drunk its not even funny. Katooni takes his weakness and snags Ahsoka's lightsabers from him, causing me to smirk proudly. At this point I've reached Ahsoka's position, and move up behind her.

"Do I need to rescue a damsel again?" I ask casually. She jumps in surprise before glancing back in shock and slight irritation.

"Jarik? What are you doing here? And with the younglings?" she demands. I give off a shrug, crouching beside her.

"Rescuing you, what do you think Sweetie Horns?" I ask rhetorically. "We had to land the ship from how damaged it was anyway. Besides, the younglings have a plan," I state, watching them with a smile, while Ahsoka watches their act nervously.

Byph then jumps off of the top of the shuttle, and lands on the springboard, sending Hondo flying through the air while he laughs in delight, the pirates laughing with him. Then he slams into a bunch of crates, and the pirates mood instantly changes as they all rush forward. The circus manager is freaking out, and I take the opportunity to cut through Ahsoka's bonds. She instantly gets up along with me, and we run over to the younglings, Katooni handing Ahsoka her lightsabers. I think we're about to get away scot free when a red blaster bolt flies by us.

We turn around to spot the pirates running forwards, shooting their blasters at us. Everyone except Katooni activate their lightsabers, hers not being finished yet. I activate my sapphire colored blade and shed my cloak, deactivating the laser blasts away, and manage to send on back at a pirate, killing him.

The circus ship then takes off, creating a dust cloud that blinds the pirates. Ahsoka glances around and notices a pirate tank.

"Quick! Get into that speeder!" she orders everyone, rushing towards it.

While the younglings board the speeder and begin to power it up, me and Ahsoka hang back behind them to continue deflecting fire. Once the tank is powered up, we both perform a backflip to land on top of the speeder.

"Get us out of here Gungi!" I exclaim, and Gungi lets off a roar from the pilots seat, spurring the speeder forwards. The pirates continue to fire at us, but we get out of range soon enough.

With the threat over for now, we all deactivate our lightsabers with relieved smiles.

"How do you feel?" Katooni asks Ahsoka, handing her a drink.

"Better now. I could pretend to be angry, but you were all very brave. Thank you," she says with a smile, taking a drink. I crouch on the tank next to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Yep, I think you guys performed admirably," I poke up in agreement. The younglings all smiled at each other, although Ahsoka glares at me lightly.

"Oh I'm still angry at you Jarik, so don't think you're off the hook. I'll deal with you soon enough," she states with a smirk. I groan in exasperation.

"Oh come on!" I complain while the youngling all laugh at my misfortune.

* * *

 ** _Unknown Regions..._**

 **3rd person POV...**

 _Out beyond the known galaxy, he sat in the shadows contemplating this new development. Somehow, in whatever way possible, a young Jedi had managed to catch a glimpse of his presence, and witnessed a memory, future or present he wasn't sure. But it wasn't because of a lack of force shielding, oh no. Not even Lord Sidious could sense his presence from his mastery over the Dark Side. No, it wasn't the shielding that was the problem. For whatever the reason, the Force itself may have very well allowed the young Jedi to experience this vision, to what end he wasn't sure._

 _But the future Supreme Leader Snoke was intrigued. For when he sensed this occurrence, he felt the young boy's signature and became very intrigued to see that a living descendant of Lord Revan himself was made known. And this turn of events would change the outcome of many things, Snoke was sure of it._

 _Over the course of more than two centuries, Snoke had the learned power, the wisdom, and the patience to accomplish many things. Not even Lord Sidious could hope to match him._

 _Yet the Shan family... they elude him. For whatever reason, their line vanished from public view generations ago, the Force in their descendants rendered dormant, and unusable. But only now does the Force reveal young Shan to the galaxy, and this gave the future Supreme Leader much to think about. Young Shan could either prove to be his greatest triumph, or be an instrument in his destruction, Snoke was sure of it._

 _With these thoughts in his mind, Snoke retreated back into the shadows, hiding his presence in the Force completely to where no one would ever sense him. This intriguing turn of events gave him much to think about..._

 _And he could not afford to make mistakes._


	49. Chapter 48 - A Necessary Bond

I was serious upset now. Somehow, after our grand escape from Hondo's fortress, his pirates had somehow managed to catch up to us in their own tank. How that happened I was unsure of, but it was seriously annoying. While Ahsoka was inside steering our speeder, being the better pilot, I was up top with my lightsaber out to deflect the blaster fire the pirates were sending at us. Normally in the past, Master Kenobi would put off the things Hondo has done that we would find irritating or bad, since he is a pilot and we were on "mostly" friendly terms. However this time I knew that he would be magnificently pissed off at Hondo this time because first of all, he attacked Jedi younglings. Second of all, he did so knowing that me and Ahsoka were a part of the group, and was now seeking to recapture us for whatever he wanted. Force only knows how angry Anakin is going to be when he hears of this.

I swung my blue lightsaber to deflect a few more blaster bolts, seeing as how the pirates didn't want to let up any time soon. Katooni and Petro were up top with me as well, although they were laid down behind cover instead, per my orders. Then Gungi appeared from inside the tank, and roared at us.

"I see them! They're gaining on us!" Petro responds.

Just then, a blast from the pirate tank shot into the back of our engines, causing us to wobble dangerously. I struggled to regain my balance for a moment before going back to blocking the blaster fire.

"Alright, now Hondo has definitely pissed me off!" I exclaim irritably, blocking another laser bolt.

"I think they're still upset that we tricked them!" Katooni says nervously. The tank rocks again, and I glance back at the younglings.

"Alright, back inside the speeder you three!" I order them. They don't protest, being far more comfortable inside the tank where there isn't a danger of falling off.

I turn forwards again and continue to deflect the shots the pirates send my way, although I'm unfortunately unable to block all of them. Some of their fire is also focused on the tank itself or the engines, which I'm unable to reach. One of the cannon shots hits near the tank again, causing it to jerk violently, and I grab onto the wall to keep myself steady. However I have to suddenly lean my head back with wide eyes, as a red laser bolt passes by where my head previously was just moments ago. I stand up straight again and stare at the pirates with a bewildered expression, my eyes wide and twitching in frustration.

Seeking another option to this as blaster deflection wasn't doing much, I take cover behind one of the engines flaps and glance around quickly, spotting a large group of loose rocks far ahead of us. A grin forms on my face as I think of my idea before closing my eyes in concentration. Reaching out with the Force, I shakily raise my hand as I struggle to wield it, imagining one of the boulders flying at the pirate tank.

After a few tough seconds pas by, the boulder raises into the air, and I swing my arm, the rock following suit. It shoots past our tank in the direction of the pirates, and they just barely have a moment of shock and surprise before the pilot jerks them to the side, narrowly missing the boulder. I slump my shoulders in disappointment, but on the bright side that did buy us some time and space to pull ahead.

 _"Nice move!"_ Ahsoka compliments me happily.

 _"Yeah, it'll at least by us some time, but dang is that crap hard!"_ I exclaim back to her.

Just then I notice the Crucible flying in our direction, and a smile forms on my face. The ship swings around to fly directly above us, and the entry ramp opens to reveal Ganodi and Huayng, who is still missing two of his arms.

Unfortunately the pirates are beginning to catch up again and open fire, desperate to prevent us from escaping. Sighing in irritation, I jump forwards and reactivate my lightsaber, continuing to deflect the red blaster bolts that come my way. The younglings all climb up out of the tank and move forwards, as Ganodi waves her arm.

"Everybody get up there!" I exclaim, deflecting another shot that travels to close to the younglings for my liking. Just then Ahsoka leaps up from inside with her lightsabers activated, and stands beside me to help with blocking the red laser bolts, easing the burden I had. Just then I realize one crucial fact:

"Who's driving this thing?!" I exclaim incredulously.

"A carnival mask!" she shouts back, blocking another shot. I gape at her in bewilderment before returning my focus to the pirates as they continue their barrage of blaster fire.

They fire their cannon again, causing our speeder to jerk slightly before turning to the side uncontrollably. "The steering must have come loose!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"No kidding!" I retort, as Petro jumps back inside the tank to correct our direction.

Once we're back underneath the Crucible, the younglings resume their task of jumping onto the ship, which is failing miserably.

"What are you guys, doing back there?" I shout, glancing back from deflecting laser fire to see Byph and Gungi hanging from the ramp. "Just jump up there!"

Our speeder is suddenly wrenched to the side, just barely missing a drop off and causing me to stumble. Byph and Gungi on the other hand, are thrown into open air, only staying up due to Ganodi holding on to them, although quite clearly straining to do so. R5 steers the Crucible back in our direction again.

"They're coming back!" Katooni exclaims.

Me and Ahsoka continue to deflect blaster fire, and the pirates fire at our engines again, causing the speeder to once again jerk. The younglings however are continuing their ridiculous plan of grabbing onto each others feet. How Ganodi hasn't fallen off yet is beyond me. Unfortunately, that's when the pirates decide to target the Crucible instead, shooting the engines with it's laser cannon. The ship immediately bursts into massive sparks and implosions, and I widen my eyes in shock, raising my arm to my head.

"R5, get out of the ship now!" I exclaim through my comlink.

The ship begins to burst into flames as the pirates slow down to watch with maniacal grins on their faces. Ahsoka and I turn to the younglings who are still trying to get onto the ship.

"Everyone, let go! Jump down now!" Ahsoka orders the younglings.

Ganodi lets go and the all fall back onto the tank, and she soon follows. Huyang is next after being pushed off by a flying R5, who then lands on the tank with us. That's when the ship crashes into the ground, smacking into our speeder along the way and causing us to tumble to the side and go flying in a massive crash. I'm flown from my position and hit the ground hard, momentarily stunned as my lightsaber falls from my grip. The Jedi Council will definitely be pissed off now for sure with the loss of the thousand year old ship.

I groan painfully and slowly raise my head to find Ahsoka on the ground as well a couple feet away, and she raises her head too as we stare at the approaching pirate. He picks up our lightsabers with a smug grin on his face.

"Nice try little Jedi. But it looks like you'll be coming with us," he says mockingly, and the pirates begin to laugh in sick delight, keeping us from doing anything as they aim their blasters in our direction. I give off an angry scowl in their direction.

* * *

The pirates had as all bound with force-binders, using the younglings as a means to get us to cooperate. Oh how I wanted to kill these smug jerks, using children as leverage to force submission. It absolutely sickened me. And I let it be known quite well, although I was more calm than the rest of the younglings, who were visibly showing their fear and nervousness.

Right now we were all sitting on the tank as the pirates transported us back to their stronghold, me and Ahsoka with passive stone cold looks while a few of the younglings continued to try and shake their binders off, to no avail. However once we arrived we were met with a huge surprise. The sound of battle droids marching caught our attention, and me and Ahsoka looked at each other with worried eyes. Guess Dooku finally wanted revenge against Hondo. The leading pirate looks out with his binoculars.

"What the? Droids?!" he says in shock. "It's an invasion!"

One of the transport ships then opens up to unleash a platoon of battle droids, then a squadron of commando droids, four magna guards and finally, General Grievous himself. I widen my eyes nervously before letting off a groan.

"Oh no..." I say with a sigh.

"What is it?" Katooni asks.

"The great and mighty General Grievous has come to grace Hondo with his presence," I mutter sarcastically, and the younglings all gasp in fear while Ahsoka eyes me with alarm.

"Where?" she asks me. I gesture with my head in his direction, and Ahsoka spots him with worried eyes.

"This isn't good," she says, and I nod in agreement.

"This isn't good! Those scrapping droids are looting the place, and dismantling our ships!" the pirate states angrily, lowering his binoculars.

"The fact that Grievous is here means that Master Kenobi's fleet must have been overrun, which is why he never arrived in the first place," I deduce, and the younglings look at me in realization while Ahsoka nods in agreement. "This entire system is now under Separatist control."

"What should we do? There's nowhere to run!" Katooni says nervously.

"You're not running anywhere skug!" the pirate threatens us, brandishing his blaster. I roll my eyes. "You're still my prisoner! Maybe I can give you to the Separatists, in exchange for my freedom!"

I let off a loud laugh to gain his attention. "Oh man, you're dumber than I thought. Grievous didn't come here to make deals, as evident by the destruction of your property. He came here for revenge when you lot held Dooku prisoner," I state with a glare.

"We have a common enemy in Grievous now," Ahsoka says. "Together we can get out of this. You must have some ships somewhere. You are pirates," she states knowingly.

"Hondo's got a private fleet, but only he knows where the ships are!" the pirate says.

"Then we'll have to rescue him," she replies. "Jarik knows Grievous better than anyone else here, and we both know droids. With our help, you stand a better chance." Ahsoka argues, and I nod in agreement.

The pirate stares at us suspiciously for a moment before moving behind Ahsoka. She closes her eyes while I watch the pirate with narrow eyes before he shoots her binders off.

"You got yourself a deal Jedi," he growls out, walking away.

"Brilliant," I remark, as Ahsoka releases me from my confinement. Together we work to relieve the rest of the younglings of their cuffs, retrieving our lightsabers as well.

"So? What's the plan?" Petro asks. Everyone turns to me and Ahsoka, who then looks at me expectantly, the pirates staring at me as well. I look around at everyone with a raised eyebrow before sighing in acceptance.

"Well, we can't just force our way inside," I remark, putting a hand on my chin. A trait I picked up from Master Kenobi. I then eye the tank before staring at R5 as my mind formulates a plan, and a grin forms on my face. "I have the perfect idea," I state.

R5 beeps nervously, seeing the look on my face and not willing to go through with it.

* * *

R5 went through with it. Just barely.

I had to practically threaten him with a punishment to get him to go along with my plan, which he eventually did reluctantly, not wanting to put himself in danger more than he'd have too. After that, R5 got into the tank and powered it up, grumbling all the way as I continued to send him amused grins. Oh this was going to be good.

R5 then piloted the tank towards the stronghold, and the rest of us followed off to the side in secret, keeping out of view of the battle droids and other security patrols. As expected, a battle droid walked forwards and stopped him, demanding to know where he was going. Then the droid actually sounded impressed before asking for his identification number as we stopped behind a few crates to watch his progress.

R5 responded hotly, causing me, Ahsoka and Huyang to flinch back with a hiss. I am not telling you what he said.

"Uh Padawan Shan? What did R5 mean by that?" Zatt asks innocently, causing me and Ahsoka to widen our eyes in horror, forgetting that Zatt could understand binary as well.

"Why? What did he say?" Ganodi asks curiously, the younglings looking to us expectantly.

"ZATT! Don't you dare say that to anyone else, and forget what you just heard!" I whisper to him harshly. He looks at us in confusion.

"But why would he call that droid a-" Zatt starts to say before Ahsoka slaps a hand over his mouth to shut him up. We both glare at him warningly before turning back with a sigh, moving onwards while Huyang quietly tells Zatt to forget what R5 said.

 _"I am so killing R5 later,"_ I mutter across the bond in irritation.

 _"Where did he even learn that language? If you taught him that I'm killing both of you!"_ Ahsoka tells me harshly.

 _"Of course I didn't! Do you even know R5?! He's a roll pile of verbal trash!"_ I reply just as hotly, irritated and embarrased because of my droid right now, especially for teaching Zatt such language. Force have mercy on Zatt's soul.

Ahsoka shakes her head in annoyance before we continue onwards, successfully managing to sneak into the base without being seen, although the younglings did have a couple of close calls. Eventually we reach the detention area under the direction of the pirates we had allied ourselves with, and then entered the hall he should be held in. Two battle droids are standing in front of one of the cells, which must be where Hondo is being kept.

Ahsoka gives me a nod, and I dash forward from around the corner, surprising the droids. Before they could even cry out in terror, I've already leaped forwards and spun through the air, slicing their heads clean off as the door opens, and the droid parts scatter across the floor. I walk forward and place my foot on one of the droid heads, smirking up at Hondo while he was suspended in his own prison cells. Ahsoka and the rest of the group walk up behind me.

"Jedi? And here I thought you made your escape." Hondo says in surprise while I deactivate my lightsabers. "No?"

"Nope. There were certain issues. And I can tell you right now that Master Kenobi is going to have some... shall we say... words, with you?" I finish with a small glare, to which he shrugs without a care.

"What can I say? I'm a pirate who want his profits! You know that me a Kenobi go way back yes?" he defends himself as Ahsoka steps forward.

"Regardless of what happened we now have to put our differences aside and be friends, or else we're all gonna die here." Ahsoka says.

"Ah, very diplomatic," he states with a laugh. "I know you did not come back to rescue Hondo, how do you say it? Out of the goodness of your hearts? No no no no. You need something from me." Hondo deduces correctly.

"A ship, to be specific." Katooni says, walking forwards.

"OH, yes, a ship! A ship a ship..." Hondo then sighs disappointedly. "Where would you find one of those? My new friend General Grievous has, destroyed my ships," he deadpans.

"We know you have one, a whole pirate fleet!" Petro exclaims.

Hondo levels his man with a small glare. "And one of my old friends apparently has been talking to much!" he accuses, causing the pirate to flinch.

"Bah, what does it matter. We'd never reach the vault anyway. Grievous army is way to big!" he exclaims.

"Don't give up, we can fight!" Petro states proudly, throwing a few punches.

"If I may sir," Huang says, stepping forward. "I have instructed younglings for over a thousand generations, and these, are among the best I have ever seen."

"Well then, show me. Show me your swords tiny Jedi!" Hondo says excitedly. "Show Hondo you are ready to fight!"

The younglings all pull out their lightsabers and activate them with happy smiles on their faces, eager to go slice up some droids, although Katooni has yet to bring out hers.

"And you child?" Hondo asks. "Where is your saber?"

"It's not finished," she says sadly, brining out her pieces. "I haven't finished it yet. I've done everything right, but it won't work!"

Huyang leans down beside her. "You must trust, that the components that form your lightsaber, are meant to be together. There is no other way. It is the Force, that binds them."

"Yes yes, I was just about to say that." Hondo says in disinterest.

I let out a scoff. "No you weren't," I say with a roll of my eyes.

Hondo ignores me. "Finish it now! Finish finish! This is worth the price of a ship!" he states, actually being sincere for once. "To see the construction of a Jedi lightsaber, is... this is priceless! finish it, and together we can defeat Grievous!"

 _"Wow, that's actually a decent motivational speech for Hondo,"_ I remark to Ahsoka in surprise. She nods in agreement.

 _"Who knew Hondo could be like that?"_ she asks rhetorically.

Katooni sits down on the ground and lays her pieces before her, getting into a meditative position and closing her eyes. She then calls upon the Force, waving her hands around, and the pieces of her lightsaber begin to swirl through the air in front of her. All the components line up in front of her while Hondo laughs in delight. She then pulls out her kyber crystal and places it in the center of the pieces, closing them up together to form her lightsaber. She smiles and activates her blue blade while me and Ahsoka smile proudly at her.

"Well cut me down little Jedi! It's time to leave!" Hondo says, and Katooni slices through his bindings, allowing him to drop to the floor easily. The two grin at each ohter before the younglings all cheer happily for Katooni, throwing their arms into the air. Me and Ahsoka walk forward to talk with Hondo.

"So why the big show? You didn't really have a choice. You know we have to work together." Ahsoka says knowingly.

Hondo waves his hand. "Because Jedi, you know what we are about to attempt is very dangerous, and I may be a pirate, but I do not like taking children into battle," he says seriously.

"That didn't seem to be a problem when you attacked our ship Hondo," I say accusingly.

Hondo laughs in response. "Well, today is a new day! And lucky for you today, I like children! Now let's free the rest of my men."

We all rush out of the cell and begin unlocking the prison cells that hold the rest of the pirates in captivity.

* * *

During our prison break, we get caught up in a small firefight with a few droids on patrol duty, but the younglings take care of them pretty quickly, which is wonderful to see. I then notice Zatt and Petro slice up a droid that was communicating with someone, and stand by the hologram as they rush away from the droid to do more damage.

Me and Grievous stare at each other as he narrows his eyes in angry recognition. I give him a small smirk and a salute before stabbing the transmitter, rushing outside after the others. Not long after that the building begins to shake and crumble as the droids begin to fire on it with their tanks. I rush forward to the head of the group to stand beside Ahsoka as we exit the fortress, and a whole mess of droids are waiting there for us. We give each other a nod before rushing forwards into battle.

I deflect the many blaster bolts headed my way before leaping forwards, flipping through the air to slice the heads of multiple droids at once before landing on the ground. I continue to slice a path through the droids, Ahsoka doing the same while the pirates charge into battle with their blasters firing like crazy. Hondo takes down droids with slashes from a small vibroblade, and the younglings all work together in perfect sync, taking down droids with ease. Petro and Katooni especially stand out with how well they work together in battle. They aren't as connected like me and Ahsoka, or Anakin and Master Kenobi when in battle together, but they still perform well for the youngling age.

Hondo's men all get on the speeder bikes that haven't been melted down yet, and Katooni goes with Hondo, while the rest of us head to the tank that R5 was still parked in. Once we board it I level R5 with a glare.

"We're discussing your language later R5," I say dangerously, and he beeps back a retort, causing me to sigh in exasperation as he starts up the tank.

R5 fires a burst from the cannon, destroying a large portion of droids before zooming off. The pirates surround us on their speeder bikes, and we plow straight through the droid army, making our escape. On the way we pass right by Grievous, who laughs in amusement. I glance back to see him get on his own speeder and start chasing after us, two commando droids flanking him.

"Well, this is a familiar scene," I remark to Ahsoka.

"Escape now, joke later!" she replies as we head into a canyon.

The commando droids open fire on us, and for the most part we swerve out of the way of their fire, although one of the speeder bikes is hit, and goes crashing in a fiery explosion. Ahead of us, large boulders begin to fall, forcing R5 to make the decision to swerve to the right while the pirates go left. Naturally, Grievous decides to follow us.

The chase continues onwards, and I stand up, grabbing onto the side of the tank for support before holding out my hand. I swing my arm and use the force, causing the commando droid on Grievous's left to swerve to the right. Grievous manages to avoid it, but the remaining droid isn't as lucky, and they slam into the canyon wall.

Having enough of the chase, Grievous speeds up alongside us and then activates two blue lightsabers, attempting to swing at us. Me and Ahsoka activate our own and rush forward to meet him. Grievous swipes at me, and I block his attack, forcing him back. His speeder wobbles a little bit, so Grievous decides to forego it, jumping off his speeder onto our tank. He swings his sabers, and Ahsoka ducks out of the way while I catch his other blade. Ahsoka then slashes at Grievous, but he blocks her with his own lightsaber, and we're held in a blade lock. the younglings give us a wide berth, to afraid of Grievous to attempt trying. Which is probably for the best, since he'd slaughter them in an instant.

A moment later the tank starts to shift violently to the side, and our blade lock is broken as we all struggle to stay balanced. The tank then flips out of the canyon, smashing into the ground and throwing everyone off violently, and we hit the dirt painfully.

"Too aggressive! Far too aggressive!" I hear Huyang cry out in exasperation, making me sigh in irritation. I slowly get up alongside Ahsoka, the younglings standing up as well before the sound of claws against the ground movig our way gets my attention. I look up to see Grievous stand up on his feet, pulling out two lightsabers with a menacing glare.

Me and Ahsoka rush forward and stand in front of the younglings, with Ahsoka holding her arms out protectively. The younglings all pull out their own lightsabers with fiery glares of their own, and I step forward in front of the rest, activating my own saber and pointing it defensively at the General.

General Grievous laughs in delight. "So many lightsabers to add to my collection! Yours will be most prized Shan, as well as your head for Kenobi!" he cries out gleefully, and I match his look with my own stern glare.

Byph lets out a few angry words, and Ahsoka glares in Grievous's direction before a ship rises up behind us, causing Grievous to slightly lower his own blades in mild surprise. The ship opens up to reveal Katooni at the ramp, who waves her arm.

"Hurry! Come on!" she cries.

"Run! All of you run!" Ahsoka exclaims ternly to the younglings, who don't question the order. Huyang and R5 go with her while Grievous stalks forward to us. Ahsoka stands beside me and activates her own lightsabers, getting into an Ataru stance while I move into a Makashi opening stance, my body tense. Grievous detaches his arms into four and activates four lightsabers at once, getting serious.

Me and Ahsoka share a determined glance, opening ourselves to each other more fully across the bond. This will be our first time being in a duel with a real opponent together, and we're ready to fight in perfect sync.

Grievous charges forward, swinging his lightsabers, and the two of us back up as he attacks. Grievous swings at our feet, and Ahsoka backflips while I twirl out of the way, before we begin a counteroffensive. Ahsoka lashes out with her saber in quick and fast arcs, and I swing mine as well, forcing Grievous to move backwards backwards. I then leap over behind him when he blocks a strike from Ahsoka, and land on my feet, going into a backwards roll. Before Grievous can react, Ahsoka removes her blade from his and thrusts her arms out in a massive force push, and since I'm on the ground, I kick him in the back as he flies over me, causing him to tumble off balance as he falls to the ground with a roar of outrage.

He coughs before pushing off of his feet, and I get back on my feet just in time to move away from where he would have sliced me and half, standing beside Ahsoka again. Grievous goes on the offensive, leaping through the air with his many sabers twirling and swiping, and the two of us move out of the way, and Ahsoka flips over one of his blades while I roll forwards, and we both swing our lightsabers at the same time, moving beautifully in perfect sync. This maneuver forces Grievous to backpedal as quickly as he can and bring up his lower arms, one blocking each of our blades. We push against him before he shoves us back angrily, swiping at us with his upper arms.

However Grievous catches us by surprise, smacking me hard in the chest with one of his arms while the other is occupied with blocking Ahsoka, throwing me to the ground hard. He then grabs Ahsoka by the face with his feet of all things, and throws her over and to the ground painfully, and she rolls away with a pained cry.

Grievous lets out a triumphant shout, and rushes forwards, using his mechanical arms to spin his lightsabers insanely fast. Ahsoka luckily rolls out of the way before leaping up and reactivating her lightsabers, blocking his overhead strike with all her might. Recovering, I get back up and rush forward, igniting my own lightsaber and twirling through the air to give my attack more momentum. Ahsoka shoves Grievous back and he turns to the side to catch my blade, then deflecting a strike from Ahsoka as well.

Taking advantage of the bladelock, I shove Grievous harshly down the side of the hill, allowing Ahsoka to eap onto his back and jump far away, with me soon following. Grievous begins to charge at us again with an enraged roar, and the younglings are calling our names, waving us forwards.

Without hesitation we both deactivate our lightsabers and make a run for the ship, leaping off the cliff just as Grievous swipes at our feet, missing by a few inches. Once we land on the ramp, Ahsoka ushers the younglings inside and we head for the cockpit, to find Hondo sitting in the pilot's chair, happily blasting away at Grievous.

"Did we get him?" Katooni asks.

"I can't tell," Petro replies.

The ship is suddenly rocked by a blast, and two AAT's come up the side of the hill, blasting away at us before Hondo can get a proper shot on Grievous, who is still curled up in a protective ball on the ground.

"Show is over kiddies! Now let's get out of here." Hondo says, turning the ship around and blasting away from Florrum. I can't let but let out a sigh of relief. This exhausting and ridiculous chaperoning trip, is finally over.

* * *

Much later, we're back on a newly refurbished Republic cruiser. To my great sadness and disappointment, Master Kenobi had to destroy the Negotiator, our own flagship when Grievous attacked him on his way to Florrum. I really liked that ship, and it had gone on many successful campaigns against the Separatists under the command of Master Kenobi and I. Ahsoka had offered me a sympathetic pat when we found out, and were now listening to Huyang tell of a story while Master Kenobi and Cody dealt with Hondo.

"Jarik, Ahsoka. It's good to see you're all safe." Master Kenobi says, walking up to us.

"Yes Master. Is was quite the adventure. I'll let you know all about the, "correct" details later since I doubt much of what Hondo said was true," I remark with a grin, crossing my arms. He nods in agreement, a smile on his face as well.

"Oh I have no doubt about that. In fact it was his great pleasure to inform me that he was, staging a rescue for you," he replies with a smirk. Ahsoka rolls her eyes in exasperation.

"In fact this was one of the most eventful trips since Master Yoda went to find his lightsaber crystal, hmm?" Huyang says.

the younglings all gasp in excitement, pleading for the full sotry and I have to admit, I'm intrigued as well.

"I'm, afraid that story will have to wait." Master Kenobi interrupts. "For now be proud. You have survived an ordeal few your age could."

He then activates his lightsaber with a smile and points it in the center of the circle. "Welcome home, young Jedi."

The younglings all follow suit, pointing their lightsabers in the center of the circle, and me and Ahsoka do so as well, the blades all glowing brightly.

* * *

Later that evening on the way back to Coruscant, I was sitting in what would be my quarters on me and Master Kenobi's new command ship, which will be labeled as the Junior Negotiator. I wasn't sure if Master Kenobi picked that name because its a new ship, or if he's trying to get under my skin as a joke, since I'm his Padawan.

Most likely the latter.

I hear a knock on the door before it slides open to reveal Ahsoka. Now that we were back from Florrum, she had cleaned herself up and gotten some food, so now she wasn't covered in dirt anymore. Master Kenobi had taken the lead of watching over younglings on the way back to the Jedi Temple so that we could rest. Ahsoka walks into the room and I give her a tired smile.

"Hey Sweetie Horns. You look much better," I greet her.

She smiles back at me, holding one of her arms nervously. "Thanks Jarik."

She stands there, contemplating what to say before she takes a breathe, steeling herself. "I wanted to say thank you, for coming to rescue me."

I give off a shrug. "It wasn't all me you know," I point out.

She gives me a nod. "I know, and I already showed my gratitude to them, so now I'm thanking you."

"Oh. You're welcome then," I state with a smile. The room goes quiet in comfortable silence before I speak up again.

"Ahsoka, just know that no matter what happens, I'll always stand with you. No matter what happens," I states firmly.

"Force bonded forever right?" she says jokingly, and I nod with a smile on my face. "You said it," I respond.

Small tears of happiness form on her face before she looks away, contemplating something. I raise an eyebrow, unsure of what she's thinking right now, before she sighs.

"Oh whatever," she says quickly, suddenly grasping my tunic and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. She releases me just as quickly, and I'm blinking in surprise, unsure of whether or not that happened. Ahsoka knocks me out of my surprise by punching me in the shoulder.

"Don't ever tell anyone I did that!" she threatens with narrowed eyes. I rub my shoulder, a small smirk forming on my face.

"Of course Sweetie Horns," I reply, and we smile at each other again before she leaves the room to take care of something.

We never realized it then, but we were already starting to gain feelings for each other that went further than just close friends.


	50. Chapter 49 - Searching for Clues

Ever since I got back from the Gathering mission, I was spending a lot of my free time searching for clues about my visions. What I wanted to know was who those two dark side wielders were, and why I saw them in the first place. The first one seemed like bad news and was evil for sure... but the second one downright terrified me. I had never before felt such darkness leaking off of someone or something before, and when comparing it to Count Dooku, the Separatist leader might as well be a youngling in the face of such power.

I wasn't sure about going to Master Kenobi or Master Yoda yet, since I didn't want to worry them about the fear of two new and extremely powerful Sith Lords that are waiting out there, somewhere in the galaxy. So instead I was sitting at one of the terminals in the archives, searching for any clue that I could hopefully dig up.

"Archive search for Vader..." I muttered, typing the word in. It sounded most likely to be a name considering how the being in my vision said it, but I honestly had no clue. To my utter disappointment, no search results came up for that name. I boosted the search engine to expand to much greater depth through the archive folders, but came up with nothing. It's like Vader or something didn't even exist.

After that, I tried searching up the next name: Kylo Ren. All I could guess was that Kylo was an apprentice to that entity or whatever, so I could only hope that I found something. However once again, there is no record or file to be found anywhere in the entire archives that relates even a portion to the names of Vader and Kylo Ren.

With those two names unavailable for study, I decided to type in my last name. My name and ancestors were continually mentioned from people like Pre-Viszla and Darth Revan, and now the same could be said for the dark entity I saw. This time I did get some results, but they were mostly of my page; scratch that. They all were about me.

With a confused glare I started to sift through all the files, putting off anything that talked about me instead of my family history. I eventually came upon a small Family chart that says it contains a chart of all my known relatives and ancestors. Clicking on it, I start to scroll back from my name for any people of historical fame, but stopped in surprise. After a couple of generations my family tree just... ended. I narrowed my eyes and type up a small code to uncover anything that could possibly be hidden, and to my relief, much more was revealed. That relief quickly turned back to frustration as while it shows people there existed quite clearly, it didn't list there name or anything about them. I tried uncovering more about it again but was blocked out of the page.

I gaped in stunned irritation. I've never been locked out of a page on the holonet before, except for only the most secure files that nobody except the Council members could view. And the file containing my family tree was clearly not under that protection, I even double checked twice. By all accounts this file is just a simple page in the archives that someone with the rank of a youngling could witness, yet I couldn't break through it!

With a small groan of frustration I slammed my head on the table before sitting back in the chair, arms crossed. I didn't even know what to do now.

I continued to sit there for a few minutes, nodding respectfully to Master Jocasta as she walked by, before an idea came to my head.

Bringing up another search engine, I typed up the names Revan and Bastila, to see if there was anything on them. Sure enough they appeared instantly, and my eyes widened in shock as I beheld their appearance. The photo of Revan was wearing the exact same armor and helmet that I've seen in my visions, and Bastila's picture was most definitely the woman that I saw on Mortis.

I eagerly clicked on their files, wanting to know more about them, although I was a little bit disappointed. While it listed their deeds during the Old Republic, and spoke of their fall to the Dark Side and return to the Light, that was all there was. Historical records, nothing about who they we're as people or why I would possibly see them.

And no family name.

So while I now knew that Revan and Bastila have indeed appeared to me for certain, I still didn't know why they do, or why I would have a connection to them. It was annoying. I absolutely love the Force and everything about how it balances and gives life to the galaxy, but if it had a physical form, I could imagine it laughing at me from whatever plain of existence it came from. And I was so annoyed at the vague and cryptic visions the Force always seemed to give for no reason.

I spent maybe over an hour or more combing through different articles and pages about anything that could relate to my Force visions, but came up with nothing. I did see one small page that caught my interest a little bit, something about an "Avatar" or something with strange powers over physical objects on an unknown world, but I brushed it off quickly. That page labeled it as a myth anyways, seen by everyone more as some silly children's story to teach kids to do good, although it was barely known by anyone in the galaxy except for some Jedi. But whatever, not important, and I didn't really care right now.

Annoyed and defeated, I check my chrono for the time and sighed, turning off the terminal and getting up from my seat. I was scheduled for another lesson with Master Kenobi in an hour, and after that we would be discussing a mission we were setting off on soon. Darth Maul and Savage have started to make themselves more widely known, picking off and killing Jedi in the outer rim one by one, and remaining undetected. So me and Master Kenobi were planning a search for them, with Master Gallia as backup to help apprehend the Sith brothers.

* * *

 _Hello readers! This was a short but interesting chapter right? Yeah, Jarik is getting frustrated because he can't find any information anywhere about his descendency or about Vader and Kylo Ren, the latter two for obvious reason haha. Also if anyone reading this enjoys or is interested in the shows Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, yeah I gave that a small cameo tease, since I'm adding that to my universe as well._

 _I already posted the first chapter for my LOK and Star Wars crossover on my profile, and you can check it out if you want. I'm having that world as more of a side-story in comparison to my main project, which is the Legacy of Jarik Shan. With that being said, while Jarik and other characters from Star Wars may have an appearance in the Avatar universe, it would only be for small supporting roles, since my main character is actually an OC Force-User that crashed on the planet as a baby. In terms of when this takes place in relation to Star Wars, I'm not revealing that just yet. :)_

 _Thank you guys for all the support you have showed my story! I can't wait to do more with it! :D_


	51. Chapter 50 - Revival

Exiting from hyperspace over the Republic station, we approached while Master Kenobi confirmed the report we received.

"The distress signal is coming from here, the Meridian sector, Cyblok system" he says.

"It is closer to the earlier attack." Master Gallia states.

"I have a feeling it's them," Master Kenobi says firmly, and I nod in agreement.

"I think so too Master. Based on what R5 picked up this attack matches the pattern that Maul has been following in his attacks against us," I inform them, and they nod to me in understanding. Master Gallia was with us on the search for Maul and Savage as extra needed help. The last time we faced them, Master Kenobi was easily overpowered and we were almost killed, even with Ventress's help. We were of course more prepared to face them now, but Master Gallia also provides in advantage in the fact that she doesn't know them personally, allowing her to keep a level head if Maul or Savage try and taunt her with jabs to toy with our emotions.

After landing in the station's hanger bay, we were greeted by a Snivvian guard who leads us to the scene of the crime. Entering the room, we view the room to be a little ransacked, with police droids scattered around the room, some either crushed or cut apart.

"That'll be flush," the guard says. "Chips were all unlocked , no way to trace them. All done by the two, crabbiest Zabraks this side of the hide-in," he explains.

"They were alone?" Master Kenobi asks.

"Yep yep," he confirms, rubbing his head. "What were they? A couple of Jedi, gone rogue of something?" he asks hesitantly.

Master Kenobi gives us a concerned glance, before turning back to the guard. "They're not Jedi," he states.

"Hmm, new favor, spark up that lightsaber of yours will ya?" the guard asks us, and I pull mine out, activating it the blue blade. "This what they had?" I ask as he looks at it.

The Snivvian guard examines my sapphire colored lightsaber blade and nods quickly in confirmation. "Hm hmm. Well the droids that got attacked, said theirs was red."

I deactivate my lightsaber and give Master Kenobi a concerned look as Master Gallia moves forward beside us.

"They are Sith, and we need to find them before they strike again." Master Kenobi states.

"Any information you could give us would help in the search for them," I say.

"Well, they took my cargo ship, and the droid survivor said they heard something about the Sertar sector," the guard explains.

I widen my eyes in surprise and look at Master Kenobi, who shares the same surprise, putting a hand to his beard in thought. I then let out a groan of disbelief, knowing all too well what is in the Sertar sector.

"You've got to be kidding me," I state in annoyance.

"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case my young Padawan," he replies, walking towards the window. Master Gallia and I follow him while the Snivvian guard leaves to go about his duties.

"What is in the Sertar sector?" Master Gallia asks us.

"That's where Florrum is." Master Kenobi replies.

"And you two have been there before?" she inquires. At our confirming nods she asks another question. "What can we expect?"

"Hondo's merry band of pirates, Master Gallia," I tell her with a small frown, not looking forward to heading back to Florrum so soon after the Gathering incident.

* * *

After exiting from hyperspace above Florrum, Master Gallia scanned the ships that were orbiting the planet.

"We have a match on the cargo ship." Master Gallia said. I looked out the viewport to see three saucer ships from Hondo's fleet escorting the cargo ship carrying Maul and Savage.

"Oh I'm sure Hondo is taking this rather well." I remarked sarcastically. Master Kenobi hummed in agreement. "Agreed. I doubt he would like to be messing with any Sith since his encounter with Dooku and Grievous recently."

Master Gallia looked over at us. "So you two, know this Hondo personally?"

Master Kenobi sighed in exasperation. "Unfortunately, yes."

I shrugged. "At least it's a mutual understanding, based on how we see it. Hondo on the other hand…" I thought about it for a second. "Meh I don't know. How bout we give him a call?" Master Kenobi nodded and sent a call to Hondo down on the planet. A few moments later an image of Hondo came up, looking rather upset.

"Greetings Hondo." Master Kenobi stated formally.

 _"Greetings?"_ he exclaimed. _"What kind of menace have you brought to my planet now? First you lose this system and then Grievous comes in here and destroys my entire stronghold!"_

I shook my head at that one.

 _"Leaving me to just ravage through the remains of my once great empire."_ Hondo continued. _"And don't forget that Jarik kid! I like him as much as you Kenobi, but he can get on my nerves sometimes."_

The two Jedi Masters looked at me with a raised brow. I held my hands up in surrender. "What? I'm a comedian."

 _"And now,"_ Hondo continued. _"These two horned men show up. Who are these two horn-headed maniacs? They don't seem like normal Jedi!"_ he exclaimed.

"Not Jedi Hondo. Sith." Master Kenobi explained. "We tracked them here."

Hondo then got out of his seat and started pacing. _"They just threatened to attack, with my men. My own men!"_ he emphasis's in a panicky motion.

"Yes we've got a good look at them now. A cargo ship and three of your starships." Obi-Wan explained. "They're headed for you Hondo."

 _"Bad-dat-dat-dat-dat-da!"_ Hondo interrupted. _"Move to the point. Are you going to help me when you get here?"_ he asked.

"There's nothing we can do about your men, but we can certainly do something about the Sith." Master Kenobi says.

Hondo nodded, satisfied. _"Good. I'll deal with my men, you deal with those, tattooed crazies!"_ Master Kenobi nodded, then closed the transmission.

Master Gallia then steered the ship towards the pirate base, as the starfighters started an attack run on the surface. As we broke through the atmosphere, I looked out the viewport to see the pirates in a civil war with each other, Maul's group charging a the fortress and firing with battle cries while Hondo's men defended, killing off the pirates trying to invade, although suffering losses themselves. We then landed the shuttle and ran outside to view the carnage, before hearing lightsabers activated behind us. We turned around to view Maul and Savage standing with their blades out.

"Throwing in with pirates now? Oh how the mighty Sith have fallen." Master Kenobi taunted. I glanced at him. "That's a decent joke." I said softly to myself before all three of us activated our own lightsabers.

Maul jumped down and singled out Obi-Wan as they started to battle. Me and Master Gallia turned towards Savage who charged at us with his saberstaff in hand. We blocked his blows with our sabers, sometimes at the same time, and traded positions. Sometimes I would attack as Adi defended, and the other way around. We then jumped down to the ground below, amidst the destroyed structures and Savage followed, taking down a tarp on the way.

As we fought, I once again took note of how Savage never had any particular form, which made him unpredictable and wild. I spun gracefully around his horizontal slash and ended up behind him. Because of this, he had to turn partially in order to keep us both in his sights. After a few more blows, I managed to get through his defense when he was distracted by Master Gallia, and almost injured him with my saber. However I got an unexpected kick to the chest which blew me back several feet, gaining a few bruises but thankfully no broken bones or anything serious. I rolled across the ground, before looking up to see Adi try a sweep kick on Savage's knee. However this failed due to his sheer strength and mass. He growled menacingly a swung a few attacks at her before force pushing her into a wall.

I struggled to get up and just as I got to my feet, I watched her get impaled by his horns. My eyes widened in horror, and I barely heard myself shout out, before I narrowed my eyes in anger and determination, as I ran towards him. I was too late however, as he stabbed her right in the back as she fell to the ground. This shook me badly, and I jumped up and kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble forwards before receiving a blow to the face from Obi-Wan. We raised our blades to finish him off, as Savage looked up in fear. Then we were stopped by Maul, as he forced our blades away from his brother.

This gave Savage the opportunity to get up, and now Obi-Wan and I found ourselves on the defensive, backing up rather quickly. We jumped onto the wreckage behind us, and I found myself in Maul's sights, as he hammered away at me. I crossed blades with him, using all of my knowledge on Form II to counter the skilled fighter, while being fueled by anger and sadness at Adi Gallia's death.

"Kenobi! This way!" I heard Hondo call out. I wanted to ignore him, but Obi-Wan brought me with him. "Come on Jarik!"

He managed to snag Adi Gallia's lightsaber with the force, and we jumped away to the building and set into a Form III position to deflect blaster fire. I looked up and saw Savage and Maul standing where we were, the latter with a sickening smile on his face. I glared at him before retreating inside with Master Kenobi.

We turned a corner to find Hondo and a few pirates waiting. "Where are the rest of your men?" Master Kenobi asked.

"They are setting up an ambush," he replied. "We could use your help. Where is the other Jedi?"

My gaze fell to the floor sadly. "She, she's dead…" I managed to say.

"She's de-" Hondo stammered. "They are too powerful for even you two!" he exclaimed, swinging his arms around, at a loss for what to say. "I am… say I'm speechless."

A second later we heard the sound of a search party looking for us, their voices carrying through the corridor. We all readied our weapons before Master Kenobi came up with a plan. "We shall draw the brothers away. Once that's done, blast the passageway closed."

"And leave you alone with the two crazies?!" he exclaims in disbelief.

"Unless you wish to help?" I offered him.

He stood still for a second before shrugging. "Ok." he simply stated. I turned and saw the Zabrak brothers turn the corner.

"Uh guys, two ugly's inbound!" I exclaimed.

They growled at me with looks promising death. "Retreat! Retreat!" Hondo ordered. We ran down the passage and split up down a corner.

"Do not let them escape!" Maul ordered his pirates. Me and Master Kenobi led the brothers away down another corridor as Hondo blasted the roof above us, causing the structure of the passage to shut. We then stopped and turned to face our enemies.

"Surrender!" Maul said. "We are two, and you and you're insolent apprentice are no match for us both."

We activated our lightsabers, and Master Kenobi used both his and Master Gallia's in a double bladed fighting style, similar to Jar'Kai.

"You are mistaken," he challenged.

"Yeah, this time you'll be the ones trying to escape." I say tauntingly, readying my lightsaber.

"Oh I highly doubt that Shan. The both of you will fall before us, just like you parents." Maul growls dangerously with a taunt, and the two got into their stances.

I narrowed my eyes at him, my anger rising and causing my eyes to begin turning into a slight golden color. I then notice Master Kenobi giving me a concerned look and sighed, stamping down on my rising anger. That's just what Maul wants to happen, piss me off before focusing on me in the hopes that I would mess up and die.

Looking back at him, we nodded our heads to prepare ourselves for the battle when Maul suddenly lunged. I vaulted over his back before swinging my lightsaber at Savage. He blocked my attack and attempted a punch, but I dodge and kicked his leg. It wasn't much, but it pushed him back an inch. I followed up with a saber twirl and an upwards slash. Looking up I glanced over to see Obi-Wan kick Maul back a few feet.

Right after that I spun and rolled forwards as Obi-Wan jumped over me and we switched positions. Obi-Wan kicked Savage a few times, strategically weakening his leg before swinging at his feet. I turned towards Maul who lunged at me intending on beheading me. I deflected his strike and slid under his legs before coming up behind him with a horizontal slash. He blocked the blow before turning to face me with a growl. We exchanged blows, sometimes surprising even myself at the moves I did during the adrenaline rush I was having. I ducked underneath Maul's swing and blocked another blow before twirling around him.

Anticipating my movements, Maul swung his fist out, surprising me and knocking me into a wall. A quick warning from the force saved me when I moved away from the lightsaber that would have put a hole in my head.

Right then Master Kenobi and I switched places again, as he suddenly turned towards Maul after making Savage stammer, surprising him. I took the opportunity to vault over them and kick off the wall before a faced down the brother. He swung at me with powerful blows, hitting the wall a bit as he did so. Knowing I couldn't match his strength, I deflected his blows away from me instead of outright opposing them, in order to make him stumble and give me breathing room. I spun and twirled my saber, lunging at him before kicking his knee once again. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my Master being thrown into a wall by Maul with the Force. During this glance, Savage took the opportunity to kick me down.

I landed next to Obi-Wan, and we prepared ourselves for the strike. Maul aimed for Obi-Wan while Savage swung at me, ensuring a huge saberlock. It took all I had to keep his saber at bay, but my hands were slowly being pushed backwards bumpy the brute force. Noticing this put Savage in a vulnerable position, I got Obi-Wan's attention, gesturing to his leg with a grunt. He see's this, his eyes lighting up in understanding as we press against their lightsabers, readying ourselves.

Obi-Wan suddenly kicked out with as much force as possible, bending Savage's knee into a gruesome position. He groaned in pain and I slid out from under him and jumped towards Maul. Obi-Wan took advantage of Maul's surprise and sprung free, cutting off Savage's arm in the process. Maul barely blocked my blow before pushing me back to Obi-Wan.

"Savage!" He exclaimed in worry for his brother before turning to us with a look that could kill us both ten times over. We got into threatening stances, but before Obi-Wan could leap at him, we were pushed back by a powerful telekinetic burst, slamming us into the far wall and collapsing the roof.

I struggled to get up as shook my head a little. Master Kenobi knelt down next to me. "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"I really hate the force sometimes when that happens Master." I said half-heartedly to try and lighten the mood.

"Come on." Master Kenobi sighed in exasperation, grabbing Master Gallia's saber before we ran down the corridor. We turned around a few corners and spent a couple minutes looking for an exit. After finally finding one, we ran out to see both Maul and Savage of them being chased by the reunited band of pirates.

Hondo then got off a shot with his blaster and hit Maul's metal leg at the knee, disconnecting it and causing him to stumble to the ground. Savage picked him up and he continued to run while Maul blocked their blasts. We continued our chase as fast as we could, but then our shuttle was brought down, blocking our path. We jumped over to watch as the two entered their cargo ship and lifted off.

Hondo waved over a pirate with a missile launcher, who shot at the ship, crippling its engines. We watched as the ship lost altitude and began to fall to the ground.

"Well Jarik and Kenobi!" Hondo spoke. "Look's like my riches are falling from the sky!"

I shook my head good-naturedly. "Rain which you caused I believe."

Hondo shrugged. "Well you gotta start somewhere. Now let's go see what we have found! Maybe get a drink- oh. I never did follow the rules, but I think that you Jarik, well you aren't old enough to drink, hehehehe." I rolled my eyes and smirked.

"That's why Master Kenobi is taking my mug," I say in amusement.

Master Kenobi's eyes widened in protest. "No-now wait a minute! Last time I drank here I woke up in a cell with Count Dooku!"

I threw Master Kenobi a devious smirk while Hondo just laughed. "Well that was a good introduction. I am in the mood for some spicy credits! Let's go see what has become of all that treasure for me!" he exclaims. "And you," he adds in with a laugh.

"Very well." Master Kenobi replies.

* * *

After a quick travel to the destruction of the ship on speeder bikes, we get off, and the pirate's rush forwards, gathering up credits and other valuables, while a Lieutenant moves to check inside the ship.

"There's no sign of those two boss!" he calls back.

"Well, if the condition of these goods, is any indication, you friends have been vaporized!" Hondo says proudly, smiling in glee.

I share a troubled glance with Master Kenobi, who shares the same concerns.

"I wouldn't be so sure. I cut one of them in half once and he survived." Master Kenobi says with a frown.

"Talk about determination," I remark with a nod.

"Well, isn't that interesting," Hondo says without a care, waving us off. I turn to Master Kenobi in concern.

"How do you think they escaped this?" I ask him.

"I'm not sure Jarik. But I can sense it clearly; Maul isn't dead, and he isn't here either," he replies gravely. I frown in confusion and annoyance.

"Great. So that means this ship was a distraction for their real escape, which is definitely not possible, or they somehow managed to jettison before the crash somehow." I state, listing off the theories.

Looks like Maul is still around to haunt the two of us for a while longer.

* * *

The next day we were gathered in the Chancellor's office on Coruscant, Anakin, Master Windu and Master Yoda joining us for this meeting. Me and Master Kenobi had just brief them all about the current situation with Darth Maul and Savage Opress.

"I think we have closure on this matter Master Kenobi," the Chancellor says.

I stare at him in surprise while Master Kenobi shakes his head. "I disagree Chancellor. Everything we've learned from this is that the Sith are persistent. they will not die," he states firmly.

"And there was no sign of their bodies in the crash as well," I add in.

"I understand your reservations, Master Kenobi and Commander Shan. But I'm afraid we can no longer allow this, 'personal' matter of yours, to be a Republic concern," the Chancellor responds, turning away. I frown in displeasure at his words, crossing my arms.

"Personal?" I mutter to myself quietly in irritation.

"It does not appear this, Darth Maul is a direct threat to the Republic!" Palpatine continues to say. "We need to redirect your efforts to the cause at hand; stopping Count Dooku and thus ending the Clone Wars."

"Maul was trying to build an army out of pirates!" Master Kenobi protests.

"So let him! Let him play with the rabble. They're just petty crooks. It is of no relevance to the Senate compared to the Separatist threat." Chancellor Palpatine says without a care. I share a concerned glance with Master Kenobi. Sure, they are just simple crooks compared to the rest of the galaxy, but ever since the Clone Wars, heck, even before that the crime rate has continued to increase exponentially at a massive scale! This war is only the icing on the cake for that chart.

The Chancellor then sighs, clearly done with the conversation. "Good day gentlemen."

As he walks back into his office, the rest of us stand up from our seats while Master Kenobi crosses his arms in displeasure. "Something is stirring in the Underworld. Crime families have had too much free reign since the Jedi have been distracted by the Clone War. I fear it is a fertile place for Maul to flourish, if he has indeed survived."

"Hmm, right you may be, Obi-Wan." Master Yoda says in understanding. "But heed the words of the Chancellor, we must. A personal matter, this is for you, considerin the past, share you two do with Maul. Clouded, your judgement may be."

My heart drops slightly at Master Yoda's words. Sure, I'd like to think I'm level headed whenever engaging with Maul, but the truth is that my parents deaths have weighed heavily on my mind ever since Maul revealed it to me. I would get the occasional nightmare that has me waking up in terror in the middle of the night. On the rare occurrence that Ahsoka is visiting me whenever Anakin or Obi-Wan are away, she helps a lot to ease the scars I have, but I still don't know if and when I'll get past it. I'm still a teenager after all.

"In time, if he lives, reveal himself again, Maul will. And then, swiftly, we shall act." Master Yoda continues.

With those words, we begin our walk out of the Chancellors office, but my senses slightly tingle a little bit, as if something is watching us. I turn around behind me in confusion, but all I see is Chancellor Palpatine still sitting at his desk, reading a report with a calm, if not exhausted elderly face. With a shrug, I turn back around, catching up to Master Kenobi.

I never see the displeased frown Palpatine gives my retreating form, troubled that I sensed something from him, albeit barely enough to be concerning.


	52. Chapter 51 - Catching Up

"When do you think Maul will strike next?" I ask Master Kenobi, evading a saber strike.

"I'm not sure Jarik. If he has survived, he's most likely attempting to build his own criminal empire," he says, deflecting my next flurry of attacks.

"Well that wouldn't be good right?" I say rhetorically, back-pedaling away from him.

"No it would not," he says in agreement. We deactivate our lightsabers, finished with our sparring session for now and I let out a sigh.

"Too bad we can't continuing chasing after them. They already killed a lot of Jedi by themselves," I say sadly, and a little bitterly. Seeing Master Gallia be cut down right in front of me was tough, but I had managed to move past it, doing my best to release my emotions into the Force. It wasn't easy, but crying about it or getting upset won't bring her back from the dead, or anyone else for that matter.

"As much as I agree with you, Master Yoda and the Chancellor do have a point," Master Kenobi informs me. "While a criminal empire would be a serious threat, Count Dooku currently is in a much greater position to end the Republic and the Jedi. More systems fall to the Separatists every day."

I sigh but nod in reluctant agreement, understanding their argument. Besides, we haven't really heard any information regarding Maul or Savage, and the attacks against the Jedi have stopped for now, indicating that they really are dead or they are out of action for the moment, probably recovering from their wounds.

"Fair point." I answer in agreement.

We're silent for a moment as we head back to our quarters before I turn to him again.

"You know what's impressive about us Master?" I ask him with a thoughtful smile.

"Humor me," he replies.

"The two of us have so many enemies with a personal vendetta against us compared to anyone else in the Temple," I state in amusement.

Master Kenobi stops in surprise, his eyes widen before he raises a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Well I suppose you're right," he says in agreement.

"Yep. Darth Maul, General Grievous, Pre Viszla, Savage Opress, you name it," I state, counting off the names with my fingers. "Makes you wonder if we are really annoying or just that impressive to all of them."

Master Kenobi sends me a small grin. "I would personally think of it as impressive," he quips.

I give off a small shrug. "I doubt any of them think so. They absolutely hate our guts," I say in amusement before changing topic. "By the way did you hear that Master Bilaba took on a new Padawan?" I ask curiously. He nods in confirmation.

"Oh yes. Her apprentice is going to be Caleb Dume. Quite a bright young Jedi if I'm honest." Master Kenobi replies. "When we informed him of his new rank he was almost bursting with joy in the Council Chambers. A lot like you did I imagine," he says with a grin down at me.

I give off a shrug. "Well what can I say? I'm a source of amusement for many," I retort snarkily.

"Yes, well, I would imagine that to be another reason you can add to your list of why our personal enemies, hate us so much," he responds with a smirk.

"I'm sure yours is longer Master," I respond cheekily.

"Quite so I'm afraid," he says with an exasperated sigh, causing me to snicker.

"Well, good for Caleb! I bet they'll do pretty well in the field if his optimism is good for anything. It'll definitely raise some of the morale of the men serving under them." I comment.

"Something that seems in low supply these days I'm afraid," he says sadly, and I nod with a glum look in agreement. As this stupid war goes on for longer and longer, things only seem to be getting worse. And not physically, since both sides have been at a stalemate for Force knows how long. It's more of a worsening in the attitude of everybody fighting in it, causing everyone to grow bitter or hopeless. Pong Krell was a good example of that when he declared he would join Dooku. And while those people were wrong in their actions, the reasons behind them were certainly genuine, and I have to wonder if they're right. The Senate is full of politicians who only want money and power from the war, save for a select few among Senator Amodala's friends. Even the Jedi Council's decisions have sometimes made me uncertain, which I know isn't a good sign.

With a sigh, we both enter our quarters to take a small break from our lessons and duties to the war and the Jedi.

* * *

 _Well, there's even more conflict going on, and Jarik is starting to sense the dark side creeping over everything, although he doesn't know it yet!_

 _Also, this was never intentional at first, but has anybody else noticed that as the war draws on, taking more lives, Jarik's happy and humorous joking attitude has lowered quite a bit since the start of this story? Symbolizes how the war has had an affect on him! D:_

 _Also in terms of Kenobi and Shan bonding as Master and Apprentice, I do my best to include it, although I'm not as good at that as I would've liked. Trying to keep them in character while writing realistic dialogue is harder than you would think! I hope you guys are happy with how I've handled that part. If you have any ideas on how to further along the Teacher/Student bond they both share I'd be happy to think about it!_

 _Thanks for supporting this story so much, and I'm glad you all have liked it! The Clone Wars however are drawing to an end, and soon the Revenge of the Sith story will start to coke into play!_


	53. Chapter 52 - The Lawless

Me and Master Kenobi entered the communications tower, where Master Yoda and Master Mundi were waiting for us, grave looks on their faces. "You summoned us Masters?" Master Kenobi asks.

Master Yoda looks at us with a grim expression and Master Mundi presses a button on the holo-table, revealing Duchess Satine in a panic. I widen my eyes in surprise and glance over to Master Kenobi, who has his hand underneath his chin in a worried gesture.

 _"This is a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jarik Shan. I've lost Mandalore,"_ she says quickly. How could that have happened so fast? _"My people have been massacred, and Almec is now the Prime Minister!"_

Master Kenobi frowns deeply, with a small hint of anger just barely visible in his eyes as he hides the lower part of his face behind his hand. I glance between him and Duchess Satine in concern, surprised and confused about how Mandalore's leadership could have changed so fast without anyone knowing.

 _"I can't explain everything now, but Almec has the support of the crime families,"_ she says in a panic, glancing behind her. I scowl in irritation at the mention of Almec again. That guy was a loser, and now he has the support of the crime families!? But he was in prison! _"Obi-Wan, I need your help!"_ Satine pleads. Three Death Watch troopers then surround her just as the message ends, which makes everything click into place a little bit better.

"Master Kenobi, Padawan Shan. Your thoughts on this?" Master Yoda asks us.

"Satine has been at odds with the Death Watch for years." Master Kenobi replies. "And according to a report from Padawan Tano, they are no longer in league with the Separatists. If there was a takeover on Mandalore it was most likely an independent act, caused by the Death Watch alone."

Master Mundi frowns in regret. "Without involvement from the Separatists, this is an internal affair for the Mandalorians. I'm afraid we cannot help," he states.

"But Master, you can't really consider doing nothing!" I protest immediately. "Having the crime families rule Mandalore means they might as well have handed it to the Separatists already!"

"Or let Satine become a martyr! That would cause many problems!" Master Kenobi adds.

"I'm afraid her decision to keep Mandalore neutral, makes this situation, difficult." Master Mundi fires back.

"Understand your feelings I do, Obi-Wan, and Jarik. But to take action, support from the Republic Senate, we will need." Master Yoda says.

"The Senate won't do anything though Master. They wouldn't bother aiding a neutral system," I tell him, and he lowers his head sadly.

"At this time, nothing more can we do," he says in finality. Master Kenobi closes his eyes in frustration, and I glance over at him nervously in concern.

* * *

"We're rescuing her aren't we?" I ask knowingly, hurrying along the hallways of the Temple to keep pace with him.

"There is no we in this mission Jarik-" he starts to reply before I cut him off.

"Oh, no no o no no no, don't even go there!" I exclaim, stepping in front of him to block his way. "There's no way you're going alone this time Master. Not without my help!" I tell him with a glare.

"The system is neutral, which means no Jedi can get involved! It's why I have to go alone for this!" Master Kenobi says in frustration, trying to move past me.

"Do you even know how lucky the four of us are? Every time one of us goes on a secret mission alone something really bad happens!" I retort angrily. "The last time you went alone on a personal mission you were captured in seconds by Maul and Savage. So like it or not, I'm coming along this time to ensure that nothing bad happens!" I tell him firmly, my eyes giving away everything.

Master Kenobi is silent for a few more moments before he sighs angrily. "Fine. But you will do everything that I say, got it?" he stresses, and I nod in agreement, glad I could convince him.

* * *

Maybe this wasn't the best idea, at least as far as I was concerned. I had asked AHsoka for permission to borrow the Twilight, and with some measure of confusion, she agreed, allowing me and Master Kenobi to use it. What really sucked was that they haven't used the Twilight in over a year since the start of the war, so it was currently in really bad condition. I had to constantly be on repair duty as Master Kenobi piloted the ship to keep this hunk of junk working. Before we left however he had dressed in his Rako Hardeen costume, much to my bewilderment, although slight understanding as well.

"Ok, I am officially declaring that we scrap this blasted ship when we get back to Coruscant!" I exclaim angrily as the ship shakes violently from exiting hyperspace.

"Why did you ask for it in the first place?" Master Kenobi demands as he steers the ship into a landing.

"Because Ahsoka and I have used it for some of our campaigns in the war Master!" I tell him. "And it flew brilliantly!"

Master Kenobi finally manages to get the ship to land on the docks with much struggle, and powers the systems down. We both let out a sigh of relief before one of the terminals exploded in a small burst of fire.

"Dah!" he exclaims in surprise before scoffing. "Anakin. That's the last time we borrow a ship from you," he says, getting out of the seat and retrieving his helmet.

"Jarik, I need you to wait here on the ship until I return," he orders me. I glare up at him incredulously.

"What did we discuss earlier?!" I say in frustration.

"I agreed to let you come along for this mission if you did everything I said, and that's all there was too it," he retorts. "While I'm gone, I want you to do whatever repairs are necessary and get ready for a quick escape," he says sternly, daring me to challenge him.

I glare back at him, but finally give out a frustrated sigh, nodding my head reluctantly. "Alright, you're the master."

He nods in satisfaction. "Good. And for the record I'll most likely use Plan F," he says, and I nod in understanding. That was the code phrase for the 'I'm-knocking-a-guard-out-and-stealing-his-uniform-to-infiltrate-a-base' plan we had.

He puts on his helmet and walks toward the hatch and presses the button to lower the ramp, and it opens up... halfway. I roll my eyes as he stamps his foot to get it to go down further, and once it lowers a little bit more, he gives up and jumps off the ramp completely. As he smacks the pistons in an attempt to get it going properly, a Death Watch guard approaches, and I back away further into the ship where I couldn't be seen, and listen to the conversation.

"Better get your ship looked at," the guard says, sounding a tiny bit sympathetic.

"Oh, it's my... friend's ship." Master Kenobi replies casually. The ramp then slams down, a couple more pieces falling off as well and I sigh in irritation. Ahsoka you liar. She said the ship was perfectly fine for use. "He told me it was perfectly fine."

And that isn't a lie. It's actually 100% true because that's what she told me! Although this is pretty humorous if you ask me.

"Terribly sorry about that," he says in apology.

"Do you have a landing permit?" the guard asks.

"Um, I think I left it in the ship. Come with me and I'll get it." Master Kenobi says, walking up the ramp. The guard follows him without hesitation, the broken down ship and acting making it seem impossible to be a fake.

Once the two of them enter the ship and out of sight of any people watching, we make our move.

"So where's the permit?" the guard demands.

"Oh, there it is." Master Kenobi replies, pointing behind him. The Death Watch guard turns around to see me standing there, and I smirk at him.

"How's it going," I say casually.

"A Jedi!" he exclaims, but I move into action before he could do or say anything else, kicking him in the face. Obi-Wan rushes forwards and punches the guard in the back, sending him slamming into the wall. He attempts to raise his blaster, but I kick it out of his hands, and Obi-Wan knocks him unconcious with a well-placed punch.

"Gotta admit Master, this is the most convincing form of Plan F we've ever had," I remark with a grin.

"Well, when the ship you have is complete garbage, then people usually assume it to be true. Nobody is crazy enough to fly on a ship this damaged," he replies back.

"Except us."

"Very true. Now get to work, we have little time." Master Kenobi says, getting into business mode as he drags the Mandalorian out of sight to take his armor.

I nod and check the ship, deciding which parts of it were in most desperate need of repair while Master Kenobi was gone. Now I would be the first to proclaim that I am in no means a mechanical engineer compared to Ahsoka or Anakin, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so I was the next best option for this. Besides, Master Kenobi wasn't going to be here for the repairs, and he was most certainly a lot worse in ship repair than I was, so there's that.

When he emerged from the back room in full armor and walked down the ramp, I walked out stealthily behind him, and tossed a couple of hologram devices around the ship to help me keep watch of any intruders that may come along while I was busy. Once that was done, I watched Master Kenobi speed off on his speeder and then headed back inside the ship, unaware of the eyes that were watching my every move.

* * *

"Kriffing Twilight... blasted ship," I muttered angrily, spewing out a few curses I learned from Ahsoka and Anakin over the years. Where was R5 when I actually needed him desperately? This control panel was an absolute piece of garbage, and I was about ready to throw my wrench away when my comlink beeped.

"You there Master?" I ask.

 _"Fire up the ship! We're going to have company!"_ Master Kenobi exclaimed.

"Finally," I said, getting to my feet and rushing for the cockpit. I powered up the ship's systems, and although it sputtered and died for a second, I smashed the button with my fist, and it roared to life. I looked out the viewport to see Obi-Wan and Satine come to a stop on a stolen speeder, rushing for the ship. Death Watch soldiers immediately soared after them, so I rushed to the ramp to help them inside. I exited the ship just as Satine ran up it and activated my lightsaber, deflecting the laser fire headed our way as Master Kenobi fired back... with a blaster.

"And you call blasters uncivilized!" I tease him, blocking another shot.

"Not now Jarik!" he exclaimed, shooting another soldier. He backed into the ship and I followed after him, blocking the shots until the ramp closed up. We immediately rushed for the cockpit, where Satine was already sitting in the co-pilot's seat. Master Kenobi sat down in the pilot's chair and activated the guns, which I then took control over and started blasting away at the Death Watch soldiers, doing a lot of damage as they fired at our own ship, which was luckily strong enough to withstand blaster fire.

"We have to contact my sister for help. She'll send reinforcements!' Satine tells us.

"Who's your sister?" Master Kenobi questions in confusion, lifting the ship off the ground.

"Well for now we're home free," I say in relief as we steered away from the docks.

The engines suddenly exploded as two Death Watch missiles hit the side of our ship, shaking it furiously and causing all the systems to spark up with electricity as everything began to implode, the Twilight spinning helplessly through the air.

"Oh come on! Really?!" I exclaimed angrily, holding on the to gunner control to stay upright.

"Brace yourselves!" Obi-Wan exclaimed.

The ship began to beep furiously, alarms blaring as we spun through the air faster and faster, out of control.

"Let's get out of here!" Obi-Wan says, and none of us complain, sprinting for the entrance while everything exploded around us. He lowered the ramp and rushed to exit, me following while Satine was hesitant.

"Obi-Wan," she cries out, suddenly being lifted from her feet out to open air from the force of the crashing ship. I grab onto the side of the ramp opposite to Obi-Wan, who manages to catch Satine before she gets thrown off. We hang on for dear life as the ship spins around violently, and the Force screams in warning to us. I glance up and then look to Obi-Wan, who nods, and we let go. We get flung away from the ship violently, just as the inside explodes. Obi-Wan and Satine manage to get flung onto the platform, but I'm thrown somewhere else just beneath it, hitting the wall violently.

I cry out in pain from the force of the hit, and then start to fall down the side of the high ledge. I scrabble for any sort of hand hold or ledge to grab onto, and luckily just barely manage to grab hold of a small loose cable, which is hanging from the side. Above me, the Twilight explodes in a massive explosion, and I look up to see the pieces flying everywhere, fire spewing from the explosion. I cringe at what Anakin and Ahsoka are going to do when they realize the Twilight is no more.

Glaring up the side of the cliff, and look around for more footholds are begin my climb to get back to the top. I can only hope the other two are alright.

* * *

Three quarters of the way back to the top of the cliff, my comlink had beeped again a special code, which meant the hologram transmitters are placed around the ship earlier when we arrived had something to show me. Holding onto the side of the wall with one hand, I viewed what the hologram had to offer.

I gasped in shock when I saw Darth Maul and Savage arrive on the scene, easily capturing Obi-Wan and Satine. Now it all made sense, how the Death Watch and Minister Almec managed to get control of Mandalore so easily. Maul was using them like puppets to do his will and begin creating an empire, using Mandalore's neutrality as a way to keep people from interfering, knowing that Obi-Wan would come alone to save Satine. Well he miscalculated, since I'm still here.

Ending the transmission, I climbed up the cliff once more with renewed determination and frustration at the fact that Master Kenobi was caught yet again. When I finally pulled myself over the ledge onto the platform, I looked up to see a group of Death Watch soldiers standing there, a woman with red hair watching me. I moved to pull out my lightsaber, but the woman acted first, pointed a blaster point-blank at my face, Master Kenobi's lightsaber held in her grip, and the other soldiers aim their blasters at me as well. I glare up at her, and her eyes are narrowed in recognition and slight rage.

"Your move Shan," she warns me.

"I would've thought you'd have killed me by now. Vizsla would've done so," I tell her.

Hey eyes harden. "Well, things have changed."

I scoff. "Yeah I can see that. You and Vizsla must be loving what Maul has done with the place," I remark sarcastically.

"We are not ruled by that aruetii!" she exclaims, and I look up in surprise and confusion.

"What? But why are you-" I start to say before she cuts me off.

"Those people are traitors to Mandalore just like him. Vizsla is dead!" she says angrily.

I'm silent for a moment as I process this information, guessing that Maul challenged Vizsla in order to take power. And if I remember Mandalorian customs correctly, backing down from a direct challenge was seen as a weakness, and you would be removed as leader. Now everything makes more sense, and I nod slowly.

"Alright then... so what happens now?" I say slowly, not glaring at her but still eying her warily and distrustfully.

She's silent as she considers her options before replying. "As much as I hate you ge'hutuun scum..." she spits out at me, and I roll my eyes.

"Gee thanks," I mutter.

"...the only way we get through this is if we work together to rescue your Jedi friend," she says bitterly and reluctantly. I raise an eyebrow at her in surprise.

"Wait, you serious?" I ask in surprise, not expecting that. Some of her soldiers glance over at her in slight surprise as well, but apparently they hate Maul more than anything right now, judging from the sense of reluctant agreement coming from them.

"Are you in or not?" she demands.

I narrow my eyes at her before nodding my head slowly. "Alright, I accept."

* * *

This was ridiculous. Although I was reluctant allies with the Death Watch under the woman's command, who I learned was named Bo-Katan, just being in there presence had glares sent at me from every angle, so I just decided to stay away from them. This also had Bo-Katan decide to not have me on the first part of the rescue mission for Obi-Wan. I protested of course, since he was my master, but she shot that down, telling me that I would only slow them down, seeing as how I had no jet-pack of any sort, and everyone would be spending a lot of their time glaring at me, on which I had to reluctantly agree.

So instead I was waiting inside of the main doors to the outside where we would be making our escape. While I was waiting, a sudden chill came over me through the Force, making me nervous. I kept glancing over my shoulder in paranoia, as if someone was behind me, watching my every move, but nobody was there. Everything though... it felt dark... terrifying...

I was broken out of my musing when two of Maul's soldiers entered the area where I was waiting, and upon noticing me, they opened fire immediately. I leapt out of the way and activated my lightsaber, deflecting the shots that came to close. They ran at me while firing, so I jumped over them when they got close enough, lashing out with my lightsaber. One of their jet-packs was hit, and it exploded, killing the wearer and knocking the other to the side. He quickly got back up and started firing at me again, so I ran out him, ducking and weaving out of the way of his shots. As I was about to strike, he suddenly caught me by surprise and kicked my in the abdomen, before grabbing my shirt and tossing me to the ground.

I cringed in pain and looked up to see him aiming his blaster at me. Before either of us could do anything however, a blue laser bolt struck him down, and I looked over to see Bo-Katan fly through with her own soldiers, Master Kenobi right behind them.

"Master! You're ok!" I said happily.

"It's good to see you too Jarik," he says in relief. "But we've got company."

Right on cue, a team of Maul's Death Watch warriors flew into the area with us and opened fire. Master Kenobi reactivated his lightsaber and deflected the red laser bolts alongside me, as Bo-Katan's warriors fired back at them. We continued in this quick battle, both sides taking out as many warriors, until the red guys rushed forwards for melee combat. Bo-Katan and her followers met them head on, easily over powering them and delivering swift punches. While they were doing that, me and Master Kenobi headed for the doors to open them when I realized we were missing someone.

"Master, where's Satine? Is she with another rescue group?" I ask him.

He immediately stills, and waves of grief roll off of them before he closes his emotions off from the Force, but I had already sensed it. I widened my eyes in horror and brought a hand to my mouth. "Oh no..." I whispered.

"It's too late to do anything now," he said quietly, and I eyed my master sympathetically, knowing this was a lot harder for him than it was for me. Maul is such an evil piece of crap.

We opened the doors and were greeted with a battle field usually found exclusively in the war between the Separatists and the Republic. Mandalore was in a complete civil war, with everything burning while the warring Mandalorians fought each other to the death. Bo-Katan and her team joined up with us, witnessing the carnage.

"Maul must really want you dead," she remarked.

"You have no idea." Master Kenobi replied.

"That's definitely an understatement," I say in agreement as we rush into the battle.

Me and Obi-Wan were fighting alongside Bo-Katan as the war waged between both groups, ships being destroyed left and right. I still couldn't believe that the peace loving world of Mandalore could have descended into a war of this scale so quickly. It was absolutely insane to think about. Three of Maul's soldiers shot their missiles at a ship flying overhead, bringing it crashing to the ground as another one landed by the edge of the docks. Me and Obi-Wan rushed for it while Bo-Katan provided us cover, shooting at any soliders who got too close for comfort.

"Go back to your Republic and tell them was has happened," she told us as we got onto the boarding ramp.

"But that would likely lead to a Republic invasion of Mandalore!" Master Kenobi says in bewilderment.

"Yes, and Maul will die! But Mandalore will survive. We always, survive," she says in determination. "Now go!"

We both head up the ramp before Obi-Wan turns around, a sad look on his face as he comes to a realization. "You're Satine's sister, aren't you?" he states.

Bo-Katan looks down slightly in confirmation, a look of grief on her face. "I'm so sorry."

She steels herself again and starts shooting more ferociously at Maul's soldiers as me and Obi-Wan board the ship, which closes up and immediately takes off, the pilot up front directing us to Coruscant and away from the battle zone.

Master Kenobi sighs, sitting on a small chair in the main part of the ship, and I sit across from him, unsure of what to think. I don't really know how to talk to him in this situation, having never lost anyone to close to me before, except for Waxer and Echo, and of course when Ahsoka died on Mortis, before she was brought back. Waxer and Echo don't count too much because I wasn't in love with them obviously, and Ahsoka was brought back just a few minutes later...

Wait, did I just admit I was in love with Ahsoka?! I glance up at Obi-Wan, but he's too busy in his own mind to have noticed my thoughts. My comlink suddenly beeps, and I realize that the hologram transmitters I put at the docks where the Twilight crashed were still , I stood up and moved into the smaller hallway, opening the recording to see what they had picked up.

I dropped my lightsaber hilt in shock, horrified by the recording.

* * *

"...and with that being said, I'm afraid Mandalore has fallen under the rule of Maul and his brother, Savage Opress." Master Kenobi finishes, having just delivered the report of our mission. Me and Master Kenobi were standing in the middle of the Council chambers with all the other Masters. Anakin and Ahsoka were standing off to the side as well, listening to our report. The moment we got back, Master Kenobi called an emergency session to discuss the events of what occurred on Mandalore, and the Masters were deeply troubled by this. Before they could say anything about our report, I closed my eyes tightly, and Ahsoka looked over at me, probing along the bond in concern.

"Actually Master... Maul isn't in control of Mandalore. Not anymore," I tell everyone quietly. They look at me in confusion and bewilderment.

"What do you mean Jarik?" Master Kenobi asks in confusion.

Without a word a take a step forward and pull out a communicator, placing it on the ground and linking it up with the recording from my comlink.

A hologram from the docks taken earlier on Mandalore is displayed, showing two of Maul's guards approaching a ship, which is revealed to be a Republic shuttle. Master Kenobi glances at me and I gesture to the recording again.

"A Republic shuttle...?" Anakin says quietly.

The shuttle ramp is lowered, and the two guards ready their weapons as a figure steps out. Once the figure is revealed, everyone in the room either gasps or widens their eyes in surprise. Heading straight for the guards is a robed and hooded figure, heads held in front of him, and his face is concealed by the cloak.

 _"Halt!"_ one of the guards demands. I glance away as he is immediately silenced when the hooded Sith grabs them both in a force choke with a simple wave of his hand, strangling the life from them. As they fall to the ground, dead, the Sith calmly walks off of the recording towards a speeder parked nearby.

The recording ends after that, and I'm silent as everyone contemplates what we had just seen. Ahsoka, sensing the fear I was feeling from how close we were to being killed by the Sith Lord, sends me feelings of comfort and reassurance, and I grasp onto them gratefully.

"So the myth of the Master is true..." Master Mundi says quietly.

"Hmmm... disturbing, this revelation is. Fortunate you are, to have not encountered this Sith." Master Yoda tells me and Master Kenobi.

"I never knew he even existed... or that he was so close." Master Kenobi responds quietly, stunned.

"Masters, when we were rescuing Master Kenobi, I think... I think I felt his presence. It was so cold... and so dark..." I tell them, holding my arms in an attempt to draw myself inwards.

"You have done well Padawan Shan. Not only did you and Master Kenobi inform us of the development of Mandalore, you also brought proof of there being a Master of the Sith as well." Master Plo praises. I nod my head in understanding.

"Discuss this development, we will. Rest, you should, in light of this revelation." Master Yoda decides, and I bow my head in respect.

"Thank you Master," I say grateful. Master Kenobi gives me a proud and comforting smile as I head to the doors, and Ahsoka follows me after receiving permission from Anakin. Once we exit the council chambers, Ahsoka wraps her left arm around me in a side hug as we walk down, and I give her a grateful smile in response, still shook up from the dark presence in the Force.

* * *

 _ **Mando'a Translations:**_

 _ **aruetii - traitor, foreigner, outsider**_

 _ **ge'hutuun - bandit, villain, petty thief (can also mean a serious criminal you have no respect for) abusive**_


	54. Chapter 53 - Sabotage

_It so it begins, the story arc we've all been waiting for. You guys will probably be quiet surprised and shocked with how I went about it. This is one of the best written, and the saddest arc in the entirety of Clone Wars in my opinion, and too this day it's still tough to watch. Hope you guys enjoy... I mean get your hearts broken while reading this! :(_

* * *

 _ **Jarik POV**_

I headed through the Temple down to the hanger bay, where most of the ships were being repaired or parked, with workers milling around. Master Kenobi had given me a small list of additions that the Council wanted added to the gunships to give us a better advantage in battle and with depositing our troops. I was supposed to give the list to a worker named Jackar Bowmani.

Entering the hanger I looked around to see the different workers milling about, as well as some clones and other Jedi, and searched for Bowmani. I found him nearby one of the gunships, and headed over.

"Excuse me, Jackar?" I ask politely.

He looks up and gives me a small bow. "How may I be of service Master Jedi?" he asks.

I open the list on the data pad and hand it over to him. "The Council wants to have these modifications added to the gunships whenever you have the time," I inform him. He scans through it quickly before nodding in understanding.

"Of course. I'll get to work on seeing this through immediately," he says with another bow. The bowing makes me feel slightly uncomfortable, since I don't care to much for the "royal respect" but whatever.

I give him a small smile and start to walk away. "Thank you," I tell him gratefully.

When I'm halfway across the Temple hanger, I suddenly stop and whirl around as the Force screams in warning... and it's coming from where I just was. I widened my eyes in shock as a gunship suddenly explodes violently, sending debris and fire everywhere, hitting the other gunships. People scream in pain as they are hit, and I raise my arms to block he blast with a Force shield, but it's way too much for me to handle.

I'm thrown harshly into the far wall with a pained cry, and look up to see a massive amount of gunship debris falling straight for me, the rest of the hanger being on fire or falling apart, dead bodies scattered around, burned. I raised my arms and attempted to stop the falling debris with the Force, and manage to be successful... but that's when it hits.

I scream in agony as my left arm feels like it's on fire, a large piece of metal having hit my arm dead on. Moments later I fall unconscious from the pain, the hanger exploding all around me.

* * *

 ** _Ahsoka POV_**

"Yeah... what'd I miss?" Anakin asks, rubbing his head.

"Oh... not much," I replied with a small grin.

He looks around in confusion and panic. "Wait a minute, wasn't I flying? Where's my fighter? How did I get here?!" he demands.

"Fighter crashed. I saved the day. You're welcome," I respond with a smirk, standing back up after realizing he was ok. He watched me walk away and scoffed in amusement.

"Alright," he says.

I move to brush the dirt off of Artooie's dome when a massive burst of pain overtakes me. I cry out in shock and fall to the ground, holding my left arm in a kneeling position.

"Ahsoka?!" Anakin asked in alarm, rushing to my side immediately. I hissed between clenched teeth as the pain slowly faded away, but tears started to come out of my eyes as I realized there was only one reason I would suddenly be in such pain like that.

"Ahsoka, talk to me. What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asks frantically, checking me over.

"I'm fine but... I think Jarik's hurt!" I tell him in a panic, barely keeping the tears out of my eyes.

"He's hurt? How do you know this?" he asks in concerned confusion.

"It's from the bond... I can't seem to reach him right now!" I exclaim frantically, trying to probe along it desperately.

"Do you know if he's alive?" Anakin asks worriedly. After a few moments I nod my head.

"Yes... but barely," I respond quietly.

He eyes me sympathetically. "Ok, that's the important thing, that he's alive. I'm sure Obi-Wan is with him right now," he reassures me.

I nod quietly, and he stands up, opening his comlink channel. "Captain Rex, Ahsoka and I need a little help," he says.

 _"Right away sir,"_ he responds immediately.

Anakin turns back to me and helps me stand back up as I fight to keep my emotions under control. Wailing about it right now won't do anyone any good, and it certainly isn't the Jedi way. Anakin's comlink then beeps as someone contacts us, and he opens it to reveal Master Yoda, although his face is grave.

"Master Yoda," he says in surprise.

 _"Return to the Jedi Temple quickly, you should. You and your Padawan,"_ he tells us with a grim look. Anakin looks at me hesitantly, and I get a bad feeling in my heart.

"What's the reason? We're... kind of busy," he says nervously, glancing over at me. I was holding my left arm with my right hand, looking at the ground.

 _"Important it is, Skywalker. Bombed the Temple hanger, someone has. Your assistance to find the terrorist, we need."_ Master Yoda says.

We look at the image of the smoking temple in shock, surprised that someone even managed such a feet. I then remembered that Jarik was supposed to be at the Temple right now, and my blood runs cold.

"Master, was Jarik caught in the blast? Is he alright?" I ask fearfully, uncaring if it would raise confusion and suspicion towards me and Jarik. I was in too much of a panic for him to really care. Anakin gives me a warning glance, and the hologram shifts back into Yoda, who eyes me inquisitively but responds to my question.

 _"Caught in the blast he was, but survived the explosion, he did. In the healing rooms to be treated, he is now."_ Master Yoda informs us, and I sigh in relief, slumping my shoulders in gratitude.

"Thank you Master," I say gratefully, nodding my head. Master Yoda inclines his head as wel before turning to Anakin.

 _"Return quickly, you should,"_ he says.

"We'll be right there Master." Anakin says firmly, closing the transmission. Rex's gunship touches down close by, and we head over to it with R2.

"Ahsoka, you shouldn't have asked that. You almost gave it away." Anakin scolds me disapprovingly. I look away, slightly shameful.

"I'm sorry Master, but I'm just so worried about him! It was almost like he was dead and I.. I just needed to know so badly!" I respond, voice breaking slightly. His gaze softens slightly as he nods.

"I understand Ahsoka, but you must be mindful of your actions. Allowing your emotions to get the better of you can cause things you may not realize," he warns me.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

Once arriving back at the Temple, me and Anakin quickly headed towards the Hall's of Healing, where Jarik was supposed to be recovering. We entered the hall and headed for where Jarik was, finding Master Kenobi sitting by his bed, a concerned look on his face. I rushed over to Jarik's left side quickly and checked his still unmoving form, his face slightly pale. the white bedsheets pulled up to his chin. Anakin stands next to Master Kenobi, a worried frown on his face.

"How is he?" he asks Master Kenobi for me.

"He'll live, that's the most important thing," he replies simply.

I pull up one of the chairs nearby and continue to check over Jarik's form, the bond still silent on his end, but he was breathing just fine at least.

"Unfortunately the blast had... consequences." Master Kenobi says, closing his eyes sadly.

"Master... what do you mean?" I ask hesitantly, afraid of the answer. I brushed my hand over his left arm and stilled when I felt something that shouldn't be there.

I slowly lifted the blanket to reveal his left arm and gasped in horror at the sight. Anakin widened his eyes in shock and he hissed between clenched teeth, unconsciously holding his right hand where the prosthetic was from his first battle against Dooku. Just below the shoulder, Jarik's entire left arm was just... gone, replaced by a cold, metal prosthetic limb.

"Oh no..." Anakin said quietly, moving around to pull me in a side hug as tears started to slide down my face, and Master Kenobi watched me with sad eyes, tinged with a tiny amount of grief.

Jarik would never have flesh for his left arm ever again.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

After visiting Jarik in the healing room, Master Kenobi ushered us all to the Council chambers to discuss how to proceed with catchng the bomber. I protested at first of course, but Anakin convinced me that Jarik would be fine, and the healers would take care of him. On the way out, Barris passed by me and offered me a sympathetic apology, which I nodded my head gratefully. She and Jarik have been my closest friends in the Temple, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of them, more specifically Jarik.

"How could the Separatists have successfully infiltrated the Jedi Temple?" Anakin asks.

"Worse than that, it is." Master Yoda says grimly.

"What could be worse Master Yoda?" I ask in confusion, keeping my emotions bay to focus on solving this crime. For Jarik, and the others who had died.

The Council members all share concerned looks, and me and Anakin glance at each other in confusion before Master Windu speaks.

"Everything is on the table. We have to look at the possibility that it could've been anyone in the Temple. Even a Jedi," he says. The two of us widen our eyes in shock at the idea.

"If a Jedi this is, gone to the dark side, they have." Master Yoda says sadly.

"I... I can't believe a Jedi would attack a place this sacred!" I say, stunned.

"We'd like for you two to lead the investigation. We can't trust anyone who was here, even a Jedi. You and Ahsoka will provide an impartial point of view, free of assumptions." Master Windu informs us, and we nod in understanding.

"We'll do everything we can." Anakin promises.

"Careful, you must be Skywalker." Master Yoda warns. "If willing to destroy the Temple the attacker is, to great lengths they will go, to keep from being caught."

"Then I guess we'll have to go to even greater lengths to catch him." Anakin says firmly. I nod my head in agreement, hardening my gaze to steely eyes. Whoever was responsible for bombing the Temple, killing others and hurting Jarik so badly, I wasn't planning on resting until they were caught, and received justice for their actions.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

Me and Anakin were walking through the charred and blackened crime scene, droids and investigators scanning the place for clues. The Force weighed down heavily here, still showing signs of death and horror.

"I can still here the screams." Anakin says quietly.

"Do you believe what they said Master? That a Jedi could do this?" I ask, still in disbelief at the idea.

"Not every Jedi agrees with this war Ahsoka. There are many political idealists among us," he replies.

"But a traitor?" I question in disbelief.

"I'm afraid one can eventually become the other. Remember Count Dooku and General Krell. That's how they started too," he says

I crossed my arms and looked around with a small frown at all the carnage. He was right in a way unfortunately. She had read about how respected Dooku was as a Jedi, one of the best in fact, but now he was a Sith Lord bent on enslaving the Republic. And Krell turned into a monster who slaughtered his own troopers just because he had the power to do so.

"Only analysis and investigation will prove what is true, or not." a small droid says, getting my attention.

"Who are you?" Anakin demands.

"I am Russo-ISC. Crime scene analyzer for the Jedi. I will be working with you and your Padawan on this case," he says, checking his datapad a few times. "I was assigned by, Master Windu."

"Ok Russo. You and Ahsoka should begin the interviews." Anakin says.

"I... would rather interview the witnesses, alone." Russo responds.

Me and Anakin eye each other with a small frown, and I shrug before turning back to him. "Why?" I demand.

"Many of the wounded have heard rumors, a Jedi was behind this explosion. There will be, ill will toward you," he says. I look over at Anakin, a sad look on my face at the reminder that a Jedi could have done this, killing people. Hurt Jarik.

"I think you're over exaggerating Russo there were Jedi killed in that blast along with maintenance crew, and clones. And one of our best friends was hurt badly in the explosion." Anakin says, and I secretly wince at the reminder. "Take Ahsoka with you." Anakin says in finality.

Russo looks over at me and I raise an eye marking at him.

"Let me know if you find anything," he continues.

I harden my gaze determinedly. "I will Master," I reply. There's no way I would be lazy and slack off on this case with so much at stake.

* * *

 _ **Anakin POV**_

As Ahsoka and Russo walked away to begin the interviews, I had my eyes closed with a frown on my face, searching through the force for clues about this attack. I was also a little bit concern for Ahsoka, worried that she might get to cold in her determination to solve the case. I had never commented about it, but I could barely make out the growing affection that she and Jarik had felt for each other, and it wasn't just friendship feelings. It was similar to what me and Padme had felt towards each other before we were married, and I had mixed feelings about it. I wanted to encourage their slowly growing relationship, but I also knew that the Jedi Council would punish them if they found out, and that's not something I wanted them to risk, already knowing the dangers of my own relationship.

I could only hope that this investigation goes smoothly, and we could find the culprit before it got out of hand. Jarik had already lost an arm from the bomber, and he would need help to get through that shock once he found out. I know it was hard for me when it happened.

* * *

 _ **Jarik POV**_

 _Everything was cold and misty, the smoke all around me as I looked around in confusion. I had no idea where I was, and I was being haunted by visions of crazy things._

 ** _"There's nothing you can do, child..."_** _a dark voice says._

 _I whirl around to see a misty image of Darth Revan and me facing each other down on Mortis._

 ** _"Yes boy... I can sense your fear..."_** _he continued._

 _"Shut up!" I had responded later. "And go away!"_

 _The image fades and I turn around again as another vision appears behind me, of me in the communications room, Anakin and Master Plo there as well._

 _"I'm not giving up on her either Master Plo!" I said in determination._

 _"This may not be within your power..." he replied. I had looked back at the map, hopeless._

 _Once again the scene fades and I'm met with another scene with me sitting on the bed. "Fine. I just feel guilty, and helpless," I said._

 _"You are definitely not helpless Jarik," she had responded sternly._

 _"I wasn't strong enough to sense it!" I said bitterly._

 _The vision shifts to show something else again, and this time I was viewing Maul facing me in the cargo ship._

 _"I killed your parents as they foolishly tried to flee from me, you in tow!" he exclaimed gleefully._

 _The words still struck my heart like a lightsaber. I remembered seeing red in my vision as I attacked Maul in a rage, and that moment disappears as the smoke surround me suddenly turns a deep red, twisting upwards to form a massive cloaked figure. I looked up in horror as the dark side seemed to emanate from it._

 ** _"Young Shan... you will join me, or die. There is no other way..."_** _his gravely voice says, ending with a cackle as he ignites a blood red lightsaber._

In the Halls of Healing, my body shivered violently in response to these visions, my hands clenching painfully as sweat ran down my face before I went still again, still in a deep coma.

Hidden from the view of anyone else, three figures watched me sadly, one being Light Side Revan, then Bastila, and then the woman who wielded a double bladed lightsaber, bearing a striking resemblance to Bastile. They glanced at each other in concern before fading away into nothingness.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

After interviewing the different witnesses, me and Russo were back in the hanger, analyzing a holo-recording of the explosion to better understad what had happened. I walked around with a datapad in hand, scanning the different pieces of debris floating in the air as shown by the hologram, and discovered a pattern.

"Based on the trajectory of the debris, it seems the blast came from there," I observed, watching the dotted lines all converge on a single point.

"Why... is there no bomb residue?" Russo asks inquisitively.

"So you think whoever did this triggered a ship to explode?" Anakin asks me, entering the hanger.

"We think so," I reply. "Russo's trying to use the shrapnel to determine that now. The witness says he saw Jackar in the area. Maybe Jackar planned to do this and just kept quiet," I theorized.

"Or..." Anakin says hesitantly.

"It, actually was a Jedi," I finish sadly.

"I found something, an anomaly." Russo says, replaying the footage of the explosion. "Something that should not be here," he continues.

As he walks around with a datapad, me and Anakin follow him before I stop, looking over to the side. I can see Jarik flying through the air, attempting to create a force shield as his face shows a look of utter panic in terror. He hits the wall, mouth open with a cry of pain, and then a large piece of a gunship falls in his direction. He raises his arms to stop it...

Anakin's hand on my shoulder tears my gaze away from Jarik in surprise, and he glances between me and Jarik's image with a sympathetic look, turning me away from the scene. I wipe away the tears I didn't realize I had and follow after Russo, who didn't notice our moment.

He stops in front of a few pieces of debris, and a bunch of markers point to small objects on them. "These pieces came from the blast origin. they are covered with microscopic droids, of a highly volatile nature."

"Nan-droids?" Anakin asks in surprise, ad I narrow my eyes suspiciously at the small droids.

"Yes. Nano-droids," Russo confirms, shutting off the hologram.

"Great. Now we're chasing nano-droids," I wave my hands in irritation. If Jarik was here this job would be much easier.

"Russo, go through security footage. Try to see if Jackar went to other parts of the Temple." Anakin ordered. "Ahsoka, let's go find out how Jackar got his hands on these nano-droids," he tells me.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

Later in the security room, me and Anakin entered to see a few investigation droids analyzing footage, and one of them turns to us.

"Bowmani's file, Master Jedi," one of the droids says, handing Anakin a datapad.

"He's a munitions expert," I say in surprise. Makes him a lot more suspicious.

"Jackar was the foreman over all the gunships, bombs and weapons." Anakin reads off the datapad. "His specialty was nano-weaponry."

"We've got to find this guy. It has to be him with all of that evidence," I say in determination. We head over to Russo, who is quickly viewing eight different screens that are all being fast-forwarded at a high speed, his head shifting quickly between all of them. I look at it in surprise and disbelief, finding it crazy how fast he could look through stuff.

"Isn't that going a little too fast for you to make sense out of it?" Anakin asks in bewilderment.

"It is simple data," Russo replies. "At this pace, I'm able to view hundreds of hours, of footage."

"Have you found Jackar?" Anakin asks again.

Russo lifts his goggles to look at us. "No."

"I'll gather some Jedi, and search the Temple. If he's still here, he might be planning another attack." Anakin decides.

"Instead of Jedi, I have droids, that can do the job much faster." Russo replies, waving a few droids forwards. The door suddenly bursts forwards and to our surprise, R5 suddenly rushes into the room frantically, beeping at us.

"R5? What are you doing here?" I ask him curiously.

He beeps at me, sounding upset and eager. I raise an eye marking at him. "So you want to help search the Temple with Russo?" I ask in confirmation.

Russo immediately protests. "R5 is not an investigator droid. He will do more harm than good."

R5 beeps angrily, brandishing an electric prod at Russo, who backs up quickly. Anakin quickly moves to hold R5 back. "Woah, easy there little guy," he says sternly. R5 beeps angrily again, and I have to nod in understanding.

"Well Russo, R5 is Jarik's astromech, and we all know of his computer reputation. R5 may not be an investigator droid, but he has really advanced scanners packed. even I don't know of all of them," I say, trying to reason with the investigator droid.

He lets out the droid equivalent of an annoyed sigh. "Fine. But he better not get in my way," he says warningly, and R5 beeps triumphantly, rolling out of the room.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

Me and Anakin were back in the Council chambers to update the Masters on our progress.

"So you've found nothing so far." Master Windu states.

"We have a clue we're following," I tell him.

"But we still don't have answers." Anakin finishes for me.

The Master all share concerned glances before turning back to us. "It is imperative that the truth be found soon. There are whispers, that the Senate will have a meeting, to decide whether the military police will need to become involved in this investigation."

I widened my eyes in shock and anger, unbelieving that the Senate would try this. "they can't do that!" I protest in frustration. Anakin puts a hand on my shoulder, an angry look on his face at the thought of the Senate being involved.

"Clones died in that explosion, maintenance clones working on the gunships as well as civilians. The Senate, tends to take notice of these things, no matter where they happen." Master Windu says sternly.

'All so they get more power for their grubby little hands over the Jedi Order,' I seethed in my mind. i never paid attention to hating the wishes of the Senate as much Jarik did, but he is absolutely right in his opinion. The Senate only cares about events that can give them more power over people, with how corrupt they are. They definitely don't care at all for who died in the explosion, probably seeing the clones, and even the civilians as a waste to bother with. But if their deaths give them a chance to grab power, they will go for it. And that absolutely sickens me.

Still, I keep these thoughts to myself, a adopt a formal look, face impassive when Anakin's comlink goes off.

 _"Master Skywalker, we have found Jackar."_ Russo says.

'Finally,' I thought with satisfaction.

"Lock down all exits so he can't escape." Anakin responds quickly. We bow to the Masters and then exit the chambers to get to Jackar for answers.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

Entering the room where Russo said Jackar was, R5 and Russo stand side by side, and we look around in confusion and irritation when we don't see him anywhere.

"Where is he?" Anakin demands.

"Well, part of him is, here." Russo replies, walking forwards.

"I don't think now is a good time to joke!" Anakin says angrily.

Russo then leads us to a table with a green hand laid on it. I raise an eye marking in confusion. R5 beeps to us, his tone filled with surprise and confusion as Russo speaks.

"This is, all that remains, of Jackar." Russo says. I widened my eyes in shock, Anakin sharing the same surprise.

"His hand?" he asks, stunned.

"The rest of him, exploded." Russo tells us.

"Because he was so close to the bomb?" I ask.

"Because he was, the bomb," he replies, lowering his goggles. I gape at the hand in shock, not expecting that. So does that mean... that Jackar wasn't behind this? Russo hands me a small datapad and I look over it. R5 lets off a low sounding beep.

"What's this?" Anakin asks.

"The connection we were looking for, to the explosion, in the hanger." Russo scans the hand to reveal an alarming amount of nano-droids.

"The nano-droids?" I exclaim in surprise. "How did they get in his bloodstream?"

"This just keeps getting better and better." Anakin says, crossing his arms in irritation. "We're gonna have to search Jackar's home for evidence."

R5 beeps eagerly in response.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

Me, Anakin and R5 headed towards the lower civilia levels of the city where Jackar supposedly lived, asking around for directions. Someone pointed us in the direction of his apartment, and we entered it warily. The place wasn't very clean at all, much to my surprise. R5 beeped, being a lot more vocal about his distaste for this... dump.

"This is not the nicest place." Anakin remarks.

"I would've thought working for the Jedi paid better," I say with a small frown, a little guilty that people working for the Order didn't have the same comfortable lives that we had in the Temple. Well, not comfortable, but more stable, and clean. Anakin knocked on the door to Jackar's apartment. When no one answered, he simply opened the door with the Force, and we entered the house. I pulled out my scanner alongside R5 in preparation for a search.

"Letta? Are you here?" Anakin asks. When nobody answers, he turns to us. "You two search for the droids, but be careful. Remember, he was a munitions expert. I'd rather not set off another explosion today."

R5 lets out a long beep and starts scanning the walls and other containers, while I held up my own scanner, heading down the hallway. So far there was no sign of anything, and the power didn't seem to be working to my annoyance. Listening to the scanners beep, R5 rolled along behind me, scanning everything he could view for any signs of nano-droids. He certainly wasn't his usual, snarky self today, probably because of his worry for Jarik. At the reminder of his condition, I narrowed my eyes in determination and continued my search, heading deeper into the house.

I slid open another door that lead into the kitchen, finding it dark like the rest of the house. "Letta?" i called out, receiving no answer. R5 brushed past me, knocking me in the leg a little bit in order to enter the room, and I rolled my eyes. He turned his scanners to all of the bins and drawers, while I held up my own scanner.

It suddenly started to beep quicker, and I narrowed my eyes, heading forwards. Seeing the reaction from my scanner, R5 rolled in my direction too, his scanners beeping the same way. I widened my eyes as me and R5's scanners went positive from the disposal.

"Master!" I called out. He rushed into the room immediately as I inspected the device. "The scanners are picking up traces in the disposal. The nano-droids were in the food," I say in surprise. R5 beeps a long, confused and suspicious beep.

"Well I guess the question now is, did he eat them willingly? Or did someone feed them to him?" Anakin says.

"What are you doing here?" a voice suddenly asks. We turn to see Letta in the doorway, a nervous expression on her face.

"We've learned Jackar was involved in the bombing." Anakin tells her.

"That's can't be true!" she immediately protests.

"See if she has any nano-droids on her Ahsoka." Anakin tells me.

Before I can move forward, R5 is already rushing forwards furiously, scanning Letta immediately with angry beeps.

"Nano-droids?" she asks nervously.

R5 then pulls back with an angry beep in her direction, letting us know that she was clean of any nano-droids. Anakin and I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously.

"What do you mean nano-droids?" she demands.

"We believe someone set Jackar up, and made him the bomb," I tell her.

"I... I don't understand," she says, hesitant to answer. R5 beeps furiously, and I hold him back from any possible rampage he might make, although I'm just as suspicious as he is at Letta.

"Letta, I want to bring you in for more questioning." Anakin says, stalking forwards. "Maybe you can help us, make sense out of all this."

The suspicion and warning is clear in Anakin's voice, and she looks away. "I'll, answer any question I can," she finally says.

We lead her outside of the apartment, but once we exit the building, she suddenly throws a random guy on top of me, running away as fast as she could. R5 squeals in rage at her retreating form.

"Letta stop!" Anakin exclaims, but she continues as the guy quickly gets off of me. She climbs onto a moving transport to escape. "Letta!"

Me and Anakin run after her, R5 wheeling behind us as fast as he can, letting off an occasional angry beep or insult at Letta. "Take the high road!" Anakin tells me.

"Right Master," I respond, leaping onto a large sign as R5 continues to roll after Anakin. I jump onto the bridge above Letta's moving vehicle, running along after her and occasionally pushing people out of the way as gently as I can to keep up. I watch as she exits onto another transport, heading into a dark alley in the hopes of hiding.

'You can't hide from us,' I think angrily, narrowing my eyes at her form. Letta running from us means she has something to do with the bombing, with taking away Jarik's left arm!

I leap onto a box in front of her, landing in a crouch. "Letta stop!" I yell out.

She backs away fearfully, only to run into Anakin, whose arms are crossed in displeasure. R5 rolls out behind him, unveiling an electric prod, which he brandishes warningly.

"Ugh! Let me go!" she exclaims.

"Running means you know more than you're telling us," I say angrily, jumping down and stalking forward with my hands on my hips.

"Jackar is dead, and now you're trying to blame his murder on me?" she protest angrily, and we narrow our eyes.

"Nobody ever said, he was dead." Anakin points out, a dangerous tone in his voice. She widens her eyes in fear, realizing her mistake.

"But running, means you had something to do with the bomb," I state accusingly, pointing a finger at her. R5 beeps in agreement.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" she says defensively.

"People, blamed, Jedi because of you," I seethed angrily. "People were killed because of you! My best friend lost his arm because of you!" I yell furiously, jabbing a finger in her direction.

She shoves my hand away angrily. "You can't prove anything!" she exclaims, sound so confident.

"Did you feed the nano-droids to Jackar? You will answer me! NOW!" Anakin roars, and I can't help but smirk at her panicked expression as she eyes Anakin with terror in her eyes. Nobody in their right mind would ever want to make General Skywalker mad.

I move forward closer with a glare, and R5 sparks his electric prod threateningly.

She finally relents with a sigh. "I did feed the nano-droids to Jackar."

"You set up your own husband to die?!" I exclaimed incredulously, eying the woman in disgust.

"You're dealing with things you don't understand," she responds patronizingly.

I eye Anakin with a raised eye marking before shoving Letta forward. "Huh, well where your going, you'll have plenty of time to explain everything!" I tell her, leading her along as R5 kept his electric prod out in warning.

* * *

 _ **Ahsoka POV**_

"We're holding Letta in the cell below the Temple to await further questioning." Anakin says as we walk through the Temple with Master Windu and Master Yoda.

I raise a communicator as Russo contacts me. _"I am pleased to report, that there were no other nano-droids found in the sweep of the Temple. I am, also pleased to report that based on the security footage, Jackar Bowmani acted alone,"_ he says. _"Which means, no Jedi was involved."_

I let off a relieved smile, glad to know that this incident appeared to be over. "Thanks Russo. Good job," I say, closing the transmission.

"Did this woman say what her reason were for attacking us?" Master Windu asks.

"Not yet. But we're working on that," I reply.

"I think we can guess her motives easily enough," he says. "Public opinion is swaying against the Jedi, that is becoming clear."

We all look down sadly in the reminder, and I felt upset by how true it was. For a while now, Jarik was starting to develop some suspicion about how the public viewed us, and I could pick that up, but he also didn't think it was enough to be concerned about. Now it is a deep concern.

"This war, is becoming less and less popular every day it persists." Master Windu says, and he and Master Yoda head off.

"Master, I'm relieved we solved this case but..." I start to say.

"What if it had been a Jedi?" Anakin finishes.

"Yes. I don't know how I would've felt if a Jedi was really behind this," I say nervously.

"There are going to be Jedi who disappoint us Ahsoka. But as long as we know there are good Jedi that fight for what's right, it makes it all worth while." Anakin says, and I look down thoughtfully.

He then puts a hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at him. "If you need to, I think you can go check up on Jarik and see how much he's recovering," he says, a surprising amount of understanding in his eyes.

I smile at him and nod gratefully, heading off to the Healing Rooms to check up on my friend.

* * *

 _ **Chancellor's office; Republic Senate building; Coruscant**_

Sheev Palpatine, esteemed and humble Chancellor of the Republic, secretly known as Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith and future Emperor of the galaxy, was not in a good mood.

Oh don't get him wrong, he was delighted to learn that the Jedi Temple was bombed, making those fools look weak and vulnerable for everyone to witness. And when he sensed who was truly behind the bombing, a Senior Padawan, it brought him sick delight to know how easily the Jedi will fall these days. His delight only increased when he learned of Jarik Shan being caught in the blast.

Unfortunately the Jedi brat managed to survive the explosion, much to his frustration. When he first discovered the child as a descendent of Lord Revan, he was delighted. A Force user of such a strong bloodline would be invaluable in his quest for galactic domination. However, ever since he became a Padawan to Kenobi, he was becoming a problem. Compared to Skywalker, his destiny was unclear, and he was slowly becoming a threat to his plans, sensing his presence while others could not, even capturing recording of his time on Mandalore! When he learned this from Yoda, it took all his willpower to keep his rage in check at how foolishly close he was to being discovered.

Yes, young Shan was more of a hinderance to him than an asset, unlike Skywalker. However, he could use the bombing events in his favor. He was no fool, and was well aware of the force bond he and Tano have shared for years, which is what kept him greatly tied to the light, with how pure Tano's soul seemed to be. It was sickening.

But if he played the cards of this bombing correctly, he could break them both, and eliminate a possible threat. After all, if the Council were to discover the Force Bond between the two brats, they would have no choice but to sever it, especially if one was accused of something unforgivable...

He smirked to himself, eyes flashing yellow briefly. The plan was in motion, and now he had to execute it, using the fallen Jedi as a pawn to eliminate all threats, and break Skywalker's trust in the Jedi further.

* * *

 _ **Jarik POV**_

I could feel someone stroking a hand tenderly through my hair, and let off a quiet groan, slowly opening my eyes. Looking down at me in concern was Ahsoka's face, whose eyes lit up in joy to see me awake.

 _"Jarik! You're alright!"_ she says happily across the bond.

 _"Sweetie Horns?"_ I say tiredly, blinking my eyes. _"What... what happened?"_

 _"You were unconscious for a day. How do you feel?"_ she asks me in worry.

I let off another groan and attempt to sit up, and she helps support me as I move. _"...feel like I got smashed by Grievous a few times,"_ I manage to joke. _"What happened that had me-"_

I suddenly still as I move my left hand against the bedside, feeling something completely different about it. Ahsoka's face morphs into one of sadness in regret as she hesitantly replies.

 _"You were... caught in an explosion,"_ she says quietly.

I rip the blanket off and widen my eyes in horror at the prosthetic limb replacing my arm, the silver metal gleaming in the white light above me. My breathing starts to become frantic as Ahsoka attempts to shush me, pulling me into a tight hug. I latch onto her tightly, still uncomfortable with moving my left arm, sobbing quietly as I remember exactly what had happened, and she rubs my back soothingly.

I didn't have a left arm anymore!

* * *

 _This wasn't what you were expecting when reading this chapter was it? I bet you all are going crazy and are shocked by my decision to remove Jarik of his left arm. When I first came up with the OC, I didn't plan on doing this at first, but now I think it goes pretty well when thinking about it critically. It makes the story seem more intense and real, instead of just playing out as you already know. Gives more of a sense of danger and uncertainty about what is to happen next for Jarik and Ahsoka._

 _Dang this was insane to write! Next chapters are going to be tough writing for sure._


	55. Chapter 54 - The Jedi Who Knew Too Much

Master Kenobi was currently away on another mission in the Clone Wars. I wasn't with him right now because I was still recovering and going through therapy with my left arm...

I still couldn't believe that I no longer had a left arm, instead having it replaced by a metal prosthetic, similar to Anakin's except mine was larger. His was cut off by Dooku, leaving just his forearm up to the elbow as his prosthetic. My mechanical limb stretched all the way up to just underneath my shoulder bone, and I could still feel the phantom pain of it, once again reminding me that it was gone. I hissed in pain, grabbing my mechanical arm in an attempt to sooth it, knowing it wouldn't do anything when another bout of pain overcame me. The door then opened up and Ahsoka came in.

"You doing alright?" she asks in concern, sitting on the bed beside me. I rolled my shoulder a little bit as the pain faded and let out a sigh.

"Could be better," I replied glumly. She puts a hand on what remains of my shoulder and rubs it a little in a form of comfort, helping to disperse the fading pain across our bond. I send her a small smile of gratitude.

"Well if it helps, we do have the woman responsible for this in custody," she said in satisfaction.

"Definitely good, but it won't bring back everyone else who died," I say sadly, and she sighs in exasperation, a wave of sadness overcoming her.

"Jarik, please stop with the gloomy attitude! You'll get better!" she says in an attempt to reassure me.

"But my arm is gone! How am I supposed to recover from that?!" I cry out suddenly, and she jumps slightly in surprise, eyes widening at my outburst.

"Anakin has a mechanical arm," she points out. I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, that's just his forearm. I'm missing the entire thing, excusing my shoulder!" I exclaim, tears threatening to come to my eyes. "How do people even deal with this?!"

Ahsoka's eyes water up slightly at my distraught state, and she wraps her arms around me to calm me down. I latch onto her tightly and cry into her shoulder, feeling so helpless at the loss of one of my limbs.

"It's ok Jarik, please, you'll be ok," she says, doing her best to keep it together. I feel like such a jerk for putting her in this forced position to hold it together for me, when she's clearly not alright either, but I can't help it. I'm just a cripple now, unable to protect even myself from an explosion, unable to protect my troops from Krell... unable to save Master Piell... unable to keep Ahsoka from being kidnapped by Hondo...

"Stop it!" Ahsoka suddenly exclaims and she pulls me away, glaring angrily into my eyes. I blink at her in shock, surprised by her outburst.

"You're not a cripple, you're not a failure, none of those things were your fault!" she shouts, gripping my shoulders tightly as she glares at me. Was I projecting those thoughts...?

"I don't care what happens to you, or what happens to me. You're my best friend Jarik! I couldn't stand to lose you, and I won't lose you to your own misery!" she continues.

"Well I can't lose you either!" I shoot back. "You always seem to be kidnapped or lost and I can't do anything about it! What does that make me?!"

"As long as you try your best that's all that matters to me," she says. "But if you go blaming yourself now for everything that was out of your control then you only truly turn yourself into what you think you are, but you're not!" small tears are coming from her eyes now. "So stop, blaming, yourself, for things nobody can control!"

I'm silent for another few seconds, Ahsoka's words cutting deep. I look back up at her with teary eyes, feeling how worried and upset she is that I'm succumbing to my own despair because I don't think I'm good enough...

"I'm sorry," I say quietly, and she pulls me into another tight hug.

* * *

The next day we were holding the funeral session for the Jedi who were killed in the hanger bay explosion. We all had our cloaks and hoods up as Master Yoda gave the eulogy, walking around the coffins. Even members of the Senate, such as the Chancellor and Mas Amedda were there, as well as... oh killjoy. "Admiral" Tarkin, as he likes to so proudly boast.

"One with the Force, they are." Master Yoda says. "And our job it is, to remember that we will in time, also pass on. Luminous beings are we, but temporary vessels, our bodies are. And we shall all find ourselves here, in time. A moment of silence I ask, to remember, and to move on." he says, and we all incline our heads slightly.

Ahsoka glances over at Barriss, who looks upset, although she's hiding it the best she can. "You were close to one of them?" she asks.

"Tutso Mara," she answers. "We trained together. He taught me how to hold my lightsaber correctly."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I say quietly.

"Live, for the living Jedi, we must." Master Yoda continues. "Live through us, forever they will."

The coffins then all lower into the floor one by one, the panels closing to unleash a white beam of light that shoots into the ceiling, signifying that they are one with the Force.

* * *

After the funeral session, Ahsoka and I, as well as Barris and Anakin were heading down the hallway, followed by the greatest person in the world, Wilhuff Tarkin.

Please note the sarcasm.

"So what happens to Letta now?" Ahsoka questions.

"The bomber has been moved." Tarkin replies swiftly.

"What?" I ask in surprise. "Where and why is that a thing?"

"Why would she be moved?" Ahsoka asks in confusion.

"The Republic military has taken her into custody." Is all Tarkin has to say in his sniveling, condescending tone.

"But, why?" she demands. "This is a Jedi matter isn't it?"

"The JEDI Temple was the building bombed, not the Senate," I add in, emphasizing the word Jedi.

"Clones were killed, which makes this attack a military matter," he retorts, and I roll my eyes, crossing my arms angrily. As if he actually cared about the lives of those soldiers and civilians. He treats them all like dirt! "An attack on the Jedi, is an attack on the Senate!" he states proudly.

I glare angrily at him. "Are you implying that the Senate rules the Jedi?" I demand.

"The Jedi serve the Republic, and last I checked, the Senate governed the Republic, which gives the military and the Senate jurisdiction over this matter," he replies smugly. "I would recommend learning your place before questioning what is fact."

I gape at him in outrage, so close to lashing out at him to see just how hard this metal arm can punch something. Ahsoka is just as angry, staring at Tarkin incredulously.

"That doesn't give you the right to barge in here like you own the place!" I exclaim.

"Jarik, just stop." Anakin says sternly. "Admiral Tarkin is right. Letta isn't a Jedi. It's not for us to be judge and jury over a citizen of the Republic," he says in defense of Tarkin.

I stare up at him in shock and slight betrayal, surprised that he would willingly agree with this sleemo over what isn't right. The Jedi Temple is what was attacked, not the Senate. Jedi were killed in the attack, Jedi who cared about the clones and civilians who also died, not the self-righteous senators and admirals lounging it up in their fancy houses with credits lining the walls.

"If Letta's guilty, she's guilty!" Ahsoka says angrily. "And she should be dealt with!"

"Calm down Ahsoka. Remember, revenge is not the Jedi way." Anakin tells her sternly, and she eyes him with a displeased frown.

 _"Hypocrite,"_ I mutter under my breathe in irritation. It's as if he forgot how he was planning to kill the disguised Rako Hardeen to get revenge for Obi-Wan, not realizing that was Master Kenobi. Sure, I almost killed him too, but at least I'm not a hypocrite about it.

"Ahsoka, Jarik, the evidence seems clear." Barris says timidly, rubbing her arm. "Nothing will ever change."

Ahsoka and I stare at her too, bewildered by how everyone seems so at ease with how things are playing out with Letta, not seeming to realize how much more the Jedi are being swallowed up by the corrupt Senate.

"The Chancellor feels very strongly that the Jedi should be removed from as many military matters as possible." Tarkin says, striding forwards toward the elevator. "You yourselves said that you are peacekeepers, not soldiers," he says condescendingly with a smug grin.

"And yet it was the Senate who put the Jedi in charge of most military matters in this war," I pointed out.

"Things have changed Padawan Shan. And the Jedi have shown to be incapable of leading us to assured victory in this war," he retorts, entering the elevator.

"I hope Chancellor Palpatine knows what he's doing." Ahsoka says with a glare.

"I assure you, that he rarely does anything without a strategy." Tarkin responds, condescending as ever.

"Well there's something that you and the Chancellor do not have in common, Admiral Tarkin," I say bitterly, giving him a mock bow before storming off. I barely catch his face turn red as it contorts in rage and I smirk to myself. So the leech doesn't like it when someone insults him back, yet he feels he has the right to do whatever he wants to people.

 _"That was funny."_ Ahsoka admits, a small amount of amusement shared across the bond.

 _"Of course it was. The almighty Tarkin is nothing more than a smug #$!"_ I respond, and she snickers mentally in amusement. _"Well, I'll see you in a little bit Ahsoka."_

 _"Of course Jarik,"_ she responds.

I head off down the hall by myself to try and calm down, lower my temper. I'm still on edge and short-tempered ever since losing my arm, and Ahsoka knew this, deciding it would be best to give me some space for the moment.

* * *

Of course, not to much later, I was in the war room with Ahsoka, Anakin and a few other Jedi Masters, discussing the Separatists next big plan of attack. Master Kenobi was on the hologram, surrounded by other planets that he was nearby as he explained the situation.

 _"We've uncovered a Separatist plan of attack. We shall travel to the Anoat system here, then move across to Saleucami,"_ he explains, pointing at the different planets.

"So far out of our way?" Master Windu notices.

 _"Unfortunately we must avoid these neutral systems,"_ he replies. To our great surprise and annoyance, Tarkin suddenly interrupts in the hologram, gaining our attention.

 _"Excuse me Master Jedi,"_ he says.

"Yes Admiral?" Master Windu asks.

 _"Commander Tano, your presence is requested by prisoner Letta Turmond,"_ he says, much to our surprise.

"The prisoner from the hanger bombing?" Ahsoka questions in confusion.

"Why is she asking for Ahsoka?" Anakin asks.

 _"Not exactly sure, but Commander Tano is the only person the prisoner will speak too,"_ he informs us.

Ahsoka's face turns to one of determination. "I'll report back with whatever I find out," she says, heading out of the war meeting.

 _"Be careful Sweetie Horns,"_ I tell her in concern across the bond.

 _"I'll be fine Jarik, thanks,"_ she says gratefully.

* * *

There are two words to describe my current situation and feelings from what just happened.

Pissed. Off.

About an hour after Ahsoka reported to the Republic prison to interrogate Letta Turmond, the Temple bomber, we were all informed that she had been arrested for the murder of the prisoner and was now being accused of the Temple bombing to my utter shock and rage. Apparently during her interrogation, Letta revealed that she wasn't the mastermind, that another Jedi was the one who set up the plan for the bombing, threatening Letta's life. And now Ahsoka has been set up and falsely accused as well!

I couldn't contact Ahsoka through our bond either, which meant she was most likely held in Force binders or a prison cell designed for blocking the powers of a Force wielder.

Me and Anakin were currently at the prison, requesting to speak to Ahsoka, but this clone Commander Fox is absolutely infuriating us.

"I said, my Padawan is in there! Now step aside," Anakin growls dangerously for the millionth time. I had my arms crossed, slightly shaking in rage as my eyes flickered between gold and blue.

General Skywalker, Admiral Tarkin has ordered that no one, be allowed in there." Fox says defiantly, not an ounce of sympathy or compassion in his body, his demeanor cold from being a Coruscant trooper. The problem with these guys is that they never get the chance to lighten up or be actual people, because nobody except the Jedi actually see them as real people, so the Senators and civilians they're assigned to guard and protect treat them like garbage.

"Kriff the scumbag Tarkin Fox! We have a right to be in there!" I exclaim furiously.

"Unless you have clearance from Admiral Tarkin, you don't have the right to go further," he fires back coldly. I am visibly shaking with rage right now., and so is Anakin as he lifts a hand, closing it into a fist.

"I don't care what she's accused of! Let, us, in!" Anakin yells, jabbing a finger against the glass with a furious expression on his face.

Fox jumps back, slightly fearful before regaining his composure. He looks over to the side, and two clones with electrostaffs step forward threateningly behind us, weapons raised and activated. I uncross my arms and clench my fists, glaring at the two guards on either side of us.

"Sorry sir, the admiral's orders stand. This is now a military operation, and under his jurisdiction." Fox tells us, and Anakin eyes him with a glare that could kill the Dark Side itself, his eyes flashing yellow just like mine. We both back up, and he smacks off one of the guards staffs angrily as they lead us away. One of the guards pokes their staff a little too close to my head for comfort, and I stop his advance, grabbing it with my mechanical hand in a harsh grip, which actually makes the metal crack under the strength of the prosthetic.

"Don't even touch me," I hiss dangerously, eyes flashing gold. The clones get the message, backing off slightly once I let go of the staff, but still making sure we exit the prison.

Once they felt we were at a satisfactory distance, which was basically outside of the prison complex, the guards left us alone.

"Still best buddies with Tarkin now Master Skywalker?" I say angrily.

"Why are you bringing that up now?" he asks in surprise and anger. "Don't even get started right now!"

"'Oh look, it's not for us to be judge and jury over this! Tarkin is right.'" I mock him with exaggerated movements. "Well your best buddy has gone and arrested Ahsoka for completely false reasons and we can't do $&%# about it!" I exclaim angrily.

He scowls at me. "My views on how things work in this war have nothing to do with Ahsoka's arrest, so don't you even dare!" he says, raising his voice.

"Whatever!" I fire back. "How are we supposed to help Ahsoka now that Tarkin's declared himself the overseer of this 'military operation?' He won't let any of us step one foot outside the Temple at this point!"

"Don't say that! I'm sure I'll be able to convince him that Ahsoka isn't responsible!" he proclaims, and I scoff at him as we both head towards the speeder.

"If you think he'll agree to that just because you think you're best buddies then you're just as blinded as a corrupt senator/" I declare furiously, refusing to look at him. I can sense Anakin's rage increase at my comments, and my anger flares to match his own, leaving us both simmering in rage. As Anakin powers up the speeder and drives us back to the Temple, we both manage to calm down over the fact that our anger is stemming from our close relationship with Ahsoka, and that we're just outraged by her false imprisonment. So we manage to come to an unspoken agreement with each other to get along for Ahsoka's sake. We will prove her innocent.

* * *

The next morning, I learned that Ahsoka somehow escaped from prison with her lightsabers in hand much to my surprise,and was now in the underbelly of Coruscant. According to reports she killed a whole bunch of troopers in the prison, which I refused to believe for a fraction of a second. When I realized that Anakin had gone after Ahsoka with the prison forces in his panic to catch her so they could prove her innocent, I was outraged that he didn't bring me with him, but I forced myself to calm down. Arguing with Anakin wouldn't do Ahsoka any good, and I was just glad that Anakin realized how dumb Tarkin was being in this matter.

He returned back to the Temple with her shoto blade, which she apparently dropped while on the run, and told me that Ahsoka had gone into the underworld of Coruscant in her search for answers. With that in mind, I secretly began to plan my next move. Ahsoka was blocking me off from our bond, feeling the need to uncover the real culprit by herself according to Anakin.

No kriffing way she's doing it without me. If I'm not assigned in the chase that the Council is undoubtedly setting up to capture her, I'm leaving the Temple to go and help her find answers regardless. The fact that we had another Jedi traitor in our midst is now all too clear, and I was swiftly reminded of Pong Krell.

The door to my quarters opened, and in walked Barris to my surprise.

"Barris?" I ask in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"O came to see how you were doing," she replied. "With Ahsoka on the run, I'm just really worried."

"You don't believe she's behind the bombing do you?" I ask with narrowed eyes. She shakes her head.

"No... I don't want too, but it's out of our hands right now," she says.

"You're not going to help uncover the real person behind this?!" I asked incredulously.

"I didn't say that!" she says defensively. "I just, I'm not sure what help I could be in this situation."

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, please just help. she's you're friend too you know. And when I find out who decided to frame Ahsoka and kill all those people..." I start to say, voice becoming dangerous.

"They'd better wish they'd never been found by the Order," I finish, clenching my left hand tightly, reminded of the loss of my arm as well as the other dead Jedi and civilians, and clones.

I didn't notice the nervous and hesitant look Barris had when I said that, to distracted by my rage and shock at how things turned around so quickly, just like that.


	56. Chapter 55 - To Catch a Jedi

Not to long after Ahsoka jumped into the underworld of the city, the Jedi Council held an emergency session, with me and Anakin in attendance. Master Kenobi was still out fighting in the war, so he could only attend by hologram. In the middle of the room was a hologram of Tarkin flanked by two clones.

 _"After further investigation, there can be little doubt that the clone officers murdered in the escape were killed by none other than Ahsoka Tano_ herself." Tarkin states, and I scowl angrily at him, frustrated that he presents it as fact when there is still no proof! _"She used a Jedi mind trick to convince the clone to open the door, and then proceeded to cut him down, along with five others along the way."_

"I... do not believe that Ahsoka could've fallen so far." Master Plo says, disbelief and hints of betrayal in his voice. The fact that even he is starting to doubt in Ahsoka is like a punch to the gut.

"That's because she didn't do it," I say again for the hundredth time.

 _"the beliefs of the Jedi Council on this matter are irrelevant!"_ Tarkin sneers. _"We deal strictly in facts and evidence, and the evidence points to Padawan Tano being guilty of the attack on the Temple, and the murder of the Republic officers!"_

Before he can say anything else I speak up in defense of Ahsoka. "Then could you please share said facts with us as well Admiral? I'd be more than happy to confirm what's right and what's wrong," I tell him with a glare.

"Jarik..." Anakin says quietly in warning and concern. Master Kenobi sends me a warning glance, as well as some other Jedi who stare at me in disapproval for me speaking out of turn. Tarkin then turns to me with a scowl.

 _"Need I remind you Padawan Shan, that this matter is now of military concern, and is therefore under my jurisdiction,"_ he says with a glare. I glare right back at him. _"And I decide who makes the claims, and what evidence is shown to those outside of the investigation!"_

I glare at him angrily, but Anakin shakes his head slightly at me, letting me know it isn't worth it. I sigh but back down with great reluctance, and Tarkin smirks at me in satisfaction, turning back to the Council. _"This is sedition!"_ he declares, ending the transmission.

"Skywalker. Was there no way to stop your Padawan before she escaped?" Master Mundi asks.

"No Master Mundi," he responds, walking forward.

"The Council believes, that Ahsoka may be guilty, of the crime. Still believe they're wrong, do you, Skywalker and Shan? Hmm?" Master Yoda questions us.

"Of course she isn't guilty Master!" I exclaim in helpless frustration. "She would never bomb the Temple, or kill clone troopers, ever!"

"That's why she's running." Anakin adds in. "To prove her innocence."

"Now she's in the lower depths. With her skills, she will be hard to find." Master Windu says.

 _"Jarik, have you been able to find any clues on the recording systems?"_ Master Kenobi asks me. I shake my head in irritation.

"No Master. Of course it would be a lot easier if a certain _Admiral_ would let us examine his so-called evidence ourselves! If I try to slice through their files to analyze it, then Tarkin would just have an excuse to accuse me of betraying the Republic as well," I say, glaring angrily at the floor, holding my left arm.

Master Yoda frowns, closing his eyes. "Hmm. Discuss this with Admiral Tarkin and the Chancellor, I will. In the meantime, two teams we will send. Master Skywalker, and Master Plo Koon, with clones, you will go."

 _"Might I suggest my Padawan go along with them as well? He and Ahsoka are close friends, and she will respond better to a comfortable face."_ Master Kenobi suggests, and I shoot him a grateful look. I would be bowing down to him in happiness if I could.

But then the devil's advocate comes in. "I think it would be best if Skywalker and Shan stayed here." Master Windu says, and I look at him, upset and angered. It's taking me all I've got to keep myself calm like a more proper Jedi during this ridiculous crisis. "Having you involved may make things, worse."

"With all due respect Master Windu, but how would we make things worse?!" I plead desperately with him.

"Jarik is right Master Windu. Ahsoka is my Padawan, and Jarik is her best friend," Anakin adds in angrily.

"The reason for you not, to go." Master Windu retorts with a disapproving frown.

 _"Taking my Padawan and Anakin off this mission would be a foolish move."_ Master Kenobi says in defense of us. _"They know her better."_

"They are emotionally tied to her. Probably too emotional to do what needs to be done," he retorts in disapproval with a stern glare.

"You're making it sound like one of the options is killing her Master," I seethe angrily, my voice deadly quiet.

"I would rather capture Ahsoka and find out the truth, then let her run because of a lie! Someone has to be framing her, I just know it!" Anakin stresses, and I nod my head in agreement.

"You must prove to us, can you stay focused?" Master Yoda asks us.

"I've, already alerted security on the lower levels to look out for Ahsoka." Anakin says. Master Yoda then turns to me.

"And you, Padawan Shan?" he asks.

I remain quiet for a few moments before answering. "I'm sure I'll be able to stay level headed. And with all due respect Masters, but I know she wouldn't have bombed the Temple, because of the main fact that I almost died there," I say, stressing the fact that I got hurt. Surely at least Master Plo and Master Yoda would understand how close me and Ahsoka are. I know Anakin and Master Kenobi do.

Master Yoda eyes me intently, and I squirm a little bit under his gaze. It's almost as if he's seeing through my soul, as if he know's something about me that he shouldn't...

"Then go swift then, Skywalker and Shan, and bring back this lost child. Before, it is too late," he finally says.

"Yes Master." Anakin responds quietly as we head out. I glance back to see Master Kenobi watching me with great concern in his eyes. we both share a look, understanding the biggest issue that we might have to face. If things don't go the way we want them too... we might be forced to reveal me and Ahsoka's Force bond.

* * *

I was halfway to the drop ships to get ready for the search when my comlink beeped a certain frequency, and my eyes widened in recognition. I glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby, before slipping into a smaller room off to the side, activating the comlink.

 _"Jarik, Barriss, it's Ahsoka,"_ she says.

"Ahsoka! Are you alright?!" I ask worriedly.

 _"For the moment, yes,"_ she says.

 _"It's so good to hear you're safe."_ Barriss says.

 _"Safe, but on the run,"_ she replies.

 _"Where?"_ Barriss asks.

 _"I can't tell you guys, but someone is definitely trying to frame me,"_ she responds.

"Yeah I already got that figured out," I said sarcastically. "Just so you know, I'm going with Anakin and Master Plo on a search for you down there," I warn her.

 _"What?! Can't you get them to stop?!"_ Ahsoka says fearfully.

"Better us the three of us to actually listen to you then some other Jedi who treats you like a mission," I remind her. "You had to know the Council would send out search parties for you."

I can hear her let out a worried sigh. _"Yeah I see your point."_

 _"Listen, it's not safe for us to contact each other using the Jedi communicator. Find another way to contact us."_ Barriss suggests.

"Have you tried that, other form of contact Ahsoka?" I ask, secretly implying to our bond. It takes a moment before she realizes what I meant.

 _"No, I'm worried the one framing me might... sense or discover that,"_ she says, and I sigh in understanding.

 _"What form of contact?"_ Barriss asks in confusion.

"Just something that I created for the two of us to use whenever out fighting in the war. Might need some work," I quickly add in explanation.

 _"Alright,"_ Barriss responds in understanding, and I internally sigh in relief. _"Well, in the meantime, I'll do some digging and see if I can find out anything to help you while the two of you are occupied,"_ she tells us.

 _"Thank you Barriss,"_ Ahsoka says for the two of us in gratitude.

"Be safe Ahsoka," I tell her. The transmission then ends and I step out of the small room to hurry over to the drop ships that'll be used for the search.

* * *

I was on a drop ship with Anakin and Captain Rex, following after Master Plo's transport towards the lower levels.

"The lower level police claimed to have spotted Commander Tano heading to level 1312." Rex reports.

"Alright, let's bring her home." Anakin announces.

"Stun blasts only please," I stress, not wanting an accidental or purposeful killing of my best friend before we could uncover the true culprit. As we fly over the large hole and begin our descent, I can't help but cringe at how deep down it goes, looking like a pit of sheer nothingness at the bottom. How the planet ever became like this in the first place is beyond me.

It takes us quite a while to get to level 1312, and once we lower to that area, we spot two figures on the ground, one of which appears to be Ahsoka.

"Shine the light over there!" Anakin orders.

Ahsoka and another figure are illuminated by the spotlight, and I narrow my eyes at the second person. Is that... Ventress?! Me and Anakin jump out of the transport when they start running, and land in a crouch, chasing after them. BEfore we could go any further, a large ray shield suddenly blocks our path, and we stop with grim expressions on our faces.

Ahsoka turns to look at us sadly, shaking her head, and the figure comes forward, placing a hand on her shoulder before they rush away. It is Ventress!

"Ventress..." Anakin says in surprise, turning around once the drop ships get closer. "Send out the probes! I want them found now!"

A group of probe droids come out of the drop ships, staring at us before flying through small openings in the walls. Anakin looks around before spotting another opening that isn't too big, but isn't too small either.

"Jarik, I want you to see if you can find them as well. Use the bond, whatever you have to do, just make sure Ahsoka isn't in any trouble," he tells me, almost pleadingly. I look at him for a few seconds in surprise, slowly realizing that he's trusting me to help Ahsoka, even going against the wishes of the Council to do it.

I nod, a newly determined look on my face. "I won't let you down Master. I promise," I tell him, looking up and jumping into the small opening on the side of the wall, crawling through to the other side.

* * *

A few minutes later after all of my sneaking around, my comlink beeped again, signifying another transmission from Ahsoka. I walked behind a corner wall and listened to it, checking to see if it was private or not.

 _"Jarik, Barriss, it's me,"_ she said. I opened the channel in reply.

"Good to see you're still in one piece Ahsoka. And was that who I think it is...?" I question.

She sighs. _"Yes, it was."_ Barriss then joins in on the transmission after receiving Ahsoka's call.

 _"It's so good to see you Ahsoka. Are you ok?"_ Barriss asks, and I can only assume that they have a hologram transmitter. I just have this lousy comlink.

 _"Yeah, I'm ok. If you consider Anakin, Jarik, and a hundred clones on my tail a good space to be in,"_ she replies.

 _"You were almost captured?"_ Barriss asks in concern.

 _"Once or twice,"_ she responds.

"Actually I'm currently searching for you on my own now, away from the others. Anakin's orders," I inform them.

 _"Alone? Why?"_ Ahsoka asks in confusion.

 _"Why would he let you go on alone?"_ Barriss asks in the same confusion and hesitance as well.

"I think it's because he trusts me to help you figure out who's really behind this before it's too late, not important right now," I tell them, reminding them of the situation.

 _"Well where are you two?"_ Barriss asks.

 _"I can't say Barriss."_ Ahsoka says.

"Better to stay hidden until we have actual evidence," I add in agreement.

 _"Alright, well i think I've found a clue,"_ she says, I raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"What? How did you figure that out? I couldn't find anything," I say in surprise.

 _"I don't have much time to explain how, but I might have an idea of where to look."_ she tells us. For some reason it sounds like Barriss is avoiding the question but I shrug it off. That's not important right now, but if she has a clue for us then I'm all ears.

 _"Alright, well I'm on level 1312."_ Ahsoka tells her.

 _"Three levels above you there seems to be an abandoned warehouse, where they used to build munitions that Letta visited during the time that she was getting access to the nano-droids."_ Barriss informs us.

 _"How did you find this out?"_ Ahsoka asks.

 _"I told you I would do some checking,"_ she replies, rather vaguely in fact. I narrow my eyes but don't comment on it. I was actually kind of impressed at how much information she managed to obtain so quickly. I would ask her about that later. Right now we had a warehouse to visit.

 _"Oh, thank you Barriss."_ Ahsoka says in relief.

"I gotta know how you figured that out when this is over Barriss. Nice work," I complimented.

 _"Yes.. of course Jarik,"_ she replies. _"Be careful Ahsoka,"_ she says, and the transmission ends. With a destination in mind, I head towards the place Barriss spoke of, hopefully to meet up with Ahsoka there.

* * *

Immediately I knew something was wrong. As I approached the warehouse I could hear the sound of lightsabers clashing with each other. Widening my eyes in shock and worry, I dropped my stealthy approached and sprinted towards the warehouse, which was now in sight.

 _"Ahsoka!"_ I shout across the bond.

 _"Up here! It's Ventress! She's the criminal!"_ she shouts back to me quickly.

Narrowing my eyes angrily, I pull out my lightsaber hilt and jump up the side of the wall, searching for their position using the bond with Ahsoka. So Ventress was the one behind this attack?! On one hand it makes perfect sense... but for some reason i have a feeling of doubt. What purpose would she have to attack the Temple if it wasn't for a bounty? I thought Letta told Ahsoka that a Jedi was the one behind it...

The sound of a lightsaber clashing brings me back to the present. Once I figured out the closest place to enter next to them, and cut a hole through the wall as fast as I could, jumping down to the floor. I looked up and saw what I believed to be Ventress flip onto the edge, kicking a bunch of barrels down the side, where I could hear Ahsoka grunting as she moved to avoid them.

I glared at Ventress and rushed forwards, actuvating my blue lightsaber. She turns around in surprise as I rish forwards, slamming my blade down. She manages to block my attack, backpedaling out of the way. I don't give her a chance to recover from her surprise, swinging my leg around to kick her feet. She falls to the ground, but wildly swings her lightsabers, forcing me away in order to avoid being slashed. She then flips onto her feet as I twirl my lightsaber challengingly, lunging forward. We exchange a quick series of blows before I hold her in a blade lock.

"You're going to pay, for what you did!" I exclaim, shoving harder.

Behind her comes Ahsoka, who backflips onto the platform before rushing towards Ventress. Sensing this, she shifts to move one of her lightsabers to block Ahsoka while keeping mine in a blade lock. We're held there for a few seconds before she frees herself, leaping off away from us. Me and Ahsoka stand side by side, facing our enemy and offering each other small grins.

"Ready for some fun?" I ask Ahsoka.

"Thought you'd never ask," she replies with a feral grin of eagerness.

Ventress readies her lightsabers as we charge forwards. Ahsoka swings first, catching one of her blades while I send a horizontal swipe at her head. Ventress quickly bats our lightsabers aside, backpedaling again before moving to counterattack. She slashes at me, and I parry the blow before responding with my own as Ahsoka leaps into the air with a twirl, lashing out with her lightsaber. Ventress barely misses her attack, leaning out of the way before retaliating, slashing the pipes nearby. They spray into Ahsoka's face, and she cries out in pain as Ventress shoves me to the side in an attempt to escape.

I chase after her, knowing Ahsoka would be fine, and swing my lightsaber. However Ventress ducks underneath just before it cuts her head open, and spins around, sending a punch towards my exposed face.

Reacting appropriately, I suddenly raise my left arm and grab the wrist of the arm about to punch me in a vicious grip. I then put my metal prosthetic to good use and squeeze as harshly as I can. She lets out a cry of pain, muffled by the mask covering her face as I glare furiously at her.

"Bet you regret taking my arm away now do you!?" I yell angrily, raising my right hand.

Before i can swing my lightsaber, Ventress suddenly lashes out with her feet, kicking my face hard with her boot and forcing me to release her from my grip. I stumble away in pain, and she takes the opportunity to use the Force, pushing me into the wall harshly. I hit the ground painfully, and let out a groan as I look up. Ventress kicks a box in my direction, and it hits both me and the floor, knocking me down a level. I slam into the floor painfully, struggling not to cry out, probably having hit my head.

The last thing I see is Ahsoka lunging for Ventress up above, and a whole mess of containers surrounding me, appearing to contain nano-droids. I also have the stray thought in my mind that was analyzing the entire duel subconsciously, comparing what i knew of previous things.

And that part of my mind told me that based on the style of fighting and clothing the bomber used, she wasn't Ventress.

Then everything goes black as I fall into unconsciousness, lightsaber falling out of my hand and Ahsoka possibly hitting the ground next to me.


	57. Chapter 56 - The Wrong Jedi

When I regained consciousness from the battle, I woke up back in the Halls of Healing in the Jedi Temple much to my surprise. I quickly left the room after receiving clearance from Healer Che, and rushed around in a panic. I found Master Kenobi in the hallway, headed towards the Council chambers, and he quickly informed me of what happened. Apparently, after I was knocked out, the clones arrived and stunned Ahsoka while she was next to me without asking any questions. To my complete shock and horror, the position I was in, as well as the surroundings led everyone to believe that I was attacked by her of all things, after I had "discovered" the secret stash of nano-droids. According to Commander Wolffe I was saved from being killed by her, because she was standing over me, my lightsaber in her hand.

"Are you kriffing joking right now!?" I exclaim angrily. "They actually think she was going to kill me?!"

"Was she?" Master Kenobi quietly asks.

"Of course not! We were attacked by someone!" I tell him, grabbing my head in a panic as I paced around.

"Attacked? By who?" Master Kenobi asks me in surprise.

"It looked like Ventress, but I don't know! It was obviously a 'she,' and she wore her mask and used her lightsabers... but something just doesn't seem right!" I blurt out, stumbling with a proper response.

"Jarik, calm down. Take a deep breathe. Tell me what you noticed about Ventress," he says sternly, stopping my pacing by grabbing my shoulders. I exhale heavily, doing my best to calm down.

"Now what makes you think it wasn't Ventress?" he questions.

"I don't exactly have a clear explanation, it happened so fast... but it was the way she fought," I tell him. "I've seen Ventress' fighting style back when we rescued you from Maul, and she used Makashi. Sloppy, but still clearly Makashi. This person... they didn't use Makashi."

Master Kenobi releases my shoulders and puts a hand on his beard with a troubled frown. "If you were under attack, and it wasn't Ventress as you say, then this means we still have a traitor within the Order," he says gravely.

I nod my head quickly. "Exactly! Why can't anybody else see it?!"

"The evidence pointing towards Ahsoka is vast. The fact that she was found with nano-droids while standing over you with your lightsaber is already enough for others to fully accuse her for the bombing I'm afraid." Master Kenobi says with a grim look, face contorted into a deep frown.

"Please tell me you're not one of them Master!" I plead desperately with him.

He's silent for a moment before replying. "I can't give a definite answer," he replies, and my face falls in a sense of betrayal. "But what I do know is how close you and Ahsoka are. And from what I've observed I highly doubt she would ever do anything to put you in harms way, or commit the crimes she's accused of."

I sigh heavily in relief. "Thank you Master," I say gratefully. He nods back, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Of course Jarik. I'll do my best to convince the Council otherwise. Hopefully your word will be enough to begin further investigation into the real truth of this mystery," he promises me. "I must be off now," he says, walking away towards the Council chambers.

I can only hope that this will work out ok.

* * *

Later that day I was with Ahsoka and Anakin below the Chamber of Judgement for Ahsoka's trial before the Council. Anakin was pacing heavily, and I sat down on the bench beside her, a protective arm around her shoulders, ironically my left arm. I offered whatever comfort I could, hoping against all odds that the Council would see reason, and she soaked it all up across the bond, leaning against me slightly. Four Jedi Sentinel's stood in the room with us, watching our every move.

"You're not helping," she finally tells Anakin.

He sighs and stops his pacing, coming to sit down beside us. "I'm sorry Snips, I... I just don't know what to do!" he says helplessly.

"I don't either," she replies.

The bell then chimes, signaling that it's time for the trial. We all get up, our hearts weighing down heavily as we step on the platform with two of the guards. The lift raises upwards, stopping at the floor level before the middle part with Ahsoka continues up further, as she faces the Jedi Council.

"Padawan Tano, serious charges, have been levied against you." Master Yoda says. "How plead you?"

"Not guilty Master," she says immediately. "I would never take the lives of innocents. The values of the Jedi are sacred to me!"

How the Council wouldn't be able to sense the truthfulness in her words is beyond me.

"There is evidence to the contrary," Master Mundi says. "You were alone with Letta Turmond when she died. Can you explain this?" he asks.

"Someone used the Force against her" Ahsoka answers.

"Which brings us to Ventress. Can you explain your association with her?" Master Plo says.

"We, had a mutual understanding. I thought she was helping me," she says, before immediately being cut off by Master Windu.

"Did she help you acquire the nano-droid weaponry they found when you were apprehended? The same devices used in the bombing of the Temple." Master Windu demands coldly. Glad to see he's already made up his mind, I think as I glare at him.

"No! I was set up, and deceived!" Ahsoka protests. "As you are being deceived now!"

"The question is Padawan Tano, who is deceiving us? Ventress, you, or someone else?" Master Windu questions. Master Kenobi looks between him and Ahsoka in deep concern, and the look on his face terrifies me. It's as if he can't do anything...

"I am not deceiving you!" Ahsoka exclaims. "I would assume Ventress but, but I can't be sure! My sense is... clouded!"

"Clouded by the dark side, these things are Padawan Tano. Dangerously clouded. But not just surrounding you, surrounding many things in these times." Master Yoda says.

I then come to the horrifying realization that they don't believe her... they don't believe me... they don't believe anyone.

"She didn't do it!" I cry out angrily, my heart breaking.

"You've already made your decision haven't you? This meeting is just a formality!" Anakin roars in outrage, having deducing already what is to happen.

"Don't you dare! Please!" I exclaim, my voice breaking.

Master Kenobi looking away in regret and heartbreak only seals it for me. I collapse onto my knees and hold my hands to my face, struggling to hold back the tears.

 _"Ahsoka..."_ I cry quietly over the bond.

"Reached a decision we have, though not in total agreement are we." Master Yoda says grimly.

"It is the Council's opinion, that Padawan Ahsoka Tano has committed sedition against the Republic." Master Windu says, not an ounce of compassion or sorry in his voice, which slowly brings me out of my grief and into a quiet, seething rage. "She will be expelled from the Jedi Order."

Anakin looks up with wide angry eyes, and I leap to my feet, my eyes watery as I glare at them all with angry, wild eyes.

"You can't do this!" Anakin yells in outrage, rushing forward with his fists up.

"Why would you do that!?" I cry out in outrage, rushing forwards with Anakin as well, grasping my lightsaber hilt in my hand out of pure instinct. The two Sentinel guards block our way with their saberstaffs, activating them in warning. we're both forced to stop and I slowly put my lightsaber back on my belt, realizing it was out as I glared up at the Council. Ahsoka's platform is lowered back down to us as she gazes down at the floor, eyes breaking with tears as a sense of hopelessness and grief washes over me from her end of the bond.

"Your Padawan status will be stripped from you, and you shall forfeit all rank and privileges in the Grand Army of the Republic." Master Mundi states. "You will be turned over to the Republic court to await trial, and whatever punishment they set for you."

One of the Sentinel's yanks her Padawan braid off, and it takes all I have left to not leap at the guard in rage, as Anakin looks on in horror and helplessness.

"Henceforth, you are banned, from the Jedi Order."

I might as well have been tortured in the cruelest ways imaginable with those words.

* * *

 _ **3rd person POV -** imagine somber violin music_

Jarik returned to his quarters after the trial, slamming the door to his side of the room. Ahsoka was already being transported to the Republic prison, and he was unable to see her until he went over with Anakin and Padme.

He stood there in the middle of is simple room, glaring at nothing with tears in his eyes, clenching his fists. Raising his left arm, he glared at the metal prosthetic, the joints creaking slightly from how tightly his hand was clenched. He then falls to the ground on his knees, and after blocking his side of the bond from Ahsoka, he let forth a scream of fury and emotional pain.

The world around him seemed silent and dull as he screamed, his cries unheard by anyone else in the Temple or beyond. During this, he subconsciously burst out a tremendous blast of Force energy, which slammed into all the objects in his room. Chair, desk, and communicator devices, even his bed, all of it was hit by the energy, crashing and breaking against the walls and cracking the glass.

After releasing his pent up rage and anguish, Jarik fell forward onto his hands, crying in despair for how horribly wrong things turned out. He couldn't believe the Council would turn on Ahsoka so quickly, barely even giving her a chance to explain herself!

Across the Temple, Obi-Wan could feel his Padawan's anguish over what happened, and closed his eyes in sorrow, his face contorted into a deep frown. No matter how he had explained what Jarik told him to the Council, they still voted to expel Ahsoka. No doubt the clear threat from Tarkin is what pushes them to do it, yet what shocked him the most was how many of the other Council members didn't seem to care, with the exception of himself, Master Plo, Master Fisto, and Master Yoda. They all seemed to believe her guilty, and were sending her off to the courts for what was most likely a death penalty.

How could the Jedi have fallen so far as to let the Senate of all things control them so much?

* * *

 _ **Jarik POV**_

Me, Anakin and Padme stepped into Ahsoka's cell to give her the news. I was glad that we got her to represent Ahsoka in the courtroom for this trial. Padme is probably the most compassionate, kind, and amazing senator that has ever lived. She's what a politician should be, not some greedy debater who tries to get their hands on more money and power with empty promises.

"Padme has agreed to represent you in the Senate." Anakin says.

"I will do everything I can to prove your innocence Ahsoka," she says sincerely.

"I am almost certian, that the person behind this is Ventress." Ahsoka says angrily. "And the two of you know, I wasn't working with her!" she tells me and Anakin. "She was at the warehouse, in the room! We fought, but she got away. Didn't any of the clones see anything?"

"No. None of the clones reported seeing Ventress at the scene. All they said was that you were standing over Jarik's unconscious form, his lightsaber in your hand to kill." Anakin responds.

I scoff angrily. "Which is a load of bantha dung."

"I thought you said Ventress left before you went into the warehouse?" Anakin asks.

"That's what I thought too," she replies sadly. "But then she attacked me when I got inside. I'd know her red lightsabers anywhere. Right Jarik?" she asks me.

I frown thoughtfully, thinking back to the scene. "While I do think Ventress to be the most likely suspect, something just seemed off about her," I said truthfully.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asks in confusion. Ahsoka throws me a questioning glance as well.

"It's just, I've seen Ventress fight before, and she uses Makashi like me. A sloppy variant, but still Makashi," I inform them. "Yet in the warehouse, the way she fought wasn't her style."

"So you're saying that Ventress wasn't the person there?" Padme asks me.

"That can't be right!" Ahsoka exclaims.

I raise my hands placatingly. "I'm just saying that's what I observed. Maybe she picked up a different fighting style since we last saw her, but there's also the possibility... that another person attacked Ventress first before heading to the warehouse."

"Well if that's our only lead, then I know what I have to do." Anakin says, heading to the door.

"Wait? Where are you going?" Padme asks. "You can't leave now!"

"Yes I can. I have to find Ventress and get to the bottom of this," he says determinedly. He then exits in a hurry to go find her, and me and Padme sit down on either side of Ahsoka.

"Well, guess it's the waiting game," I say glumly.

"Until we hear from Anakin again, let's work on your defense." Padme decides.

Ahsoka sighs helplessly. "Forgive me if I'm not optimistic. I thought I was part of that Order, but everyone except Anakin and you Jarik, has abandoned me. I'm not holding out much hope the Senate will treat me any better," she says, feeling hopeless.

I grab her left shoulder, forcing her to look at me as I glare into her eyes.. "Hey, I refuse to let you be accused of a crime I know you didn't commit! I don't care what the Council or the Senate thinks anymore," I say sternly. "The Council may have abandoned you, but I know me, Padme and Anakin won't give up on you. I know I won't even if it takes me the rest of my life!"

She looks down glumly, and Padme sighs sadly.

* * *

The time for the trial finally came, and Ahsoka was lead out onto her platform. I went with Padme to her side in support, staying slightly behind her just so it was clear that Padme was the defendant, not me. We had reviewed everything we knew tirelessly, and I gave my side of the story as well so that there was more to go on for why Ahsoka isn't the criminal. The prosecutor's door then opened, to reveal, surprise surprise, Admiral Tarkin. I glared at him immediately, not feeling too surprised that he would do everything in his grasp to make Ahsoka suffer. He has a totally biased, uncalled for hatred of the Jedi. He isn't even recognizing the fact that he wouldn't be standing here right now if it wasn't for Ahsoka! The ungrateful punk.

"Ahsoka Tano," Chancellor Palpatine begins. "You have been charged with sedition against the Jedi Order, and the Republic itself. This court, will decide your fate. Prosecution, you may begin your arguments."

I roll my eyes in disgust, crossing my arms and at least trying to be formal as Tarkin steps forward, smugness and superiority oozing from him.

"Former Padawan Tano," he emphasizes, making me grit my teeth to keep quiet. "I shall prove, that you were the mastermind behind the attack on the Jedi Temple. that once your accomplices carried out your orders, you eliminated them one by one. When you are found guilty, I ask the court that the full extent of the law be brought down upon you. Including, penalty of death!" he states viciously.

Ahsoka widens her eyes in fear and I glare at Tarkin angrily, disgusted by the satisfaction he feels from his own words. Padme then steps forward to begin her own arguments after receiving approval from the Chancellor.

"Look at the facts. Letta Turmond called Ahsoka to her cell, to reveal the name behind the true mastermind behind the bombing of the Jedi Temple." Padme says. "Letta told Ahsoka she was afraid. She told her the mastermind was a Jedi. And before she could reveal the Jedi's name, Letta Turmond was strangled to death by way of the Force."

I nod my head in full agreement, finding the idea of her being guilty when this happened stupid.

"Why would Ahsoka kill Letta, with a method that would so obviously tie Ahsoka to her?" Padme asks rhetorically. "A Jedi may be responsible for the murder, but that Jedi is not Ahsoka Tano! Members of the court, you are prosecuting the wrong Jedi!"

Tarkin claps sarcastically, striding forward mockingly. "Well said Senator Amidala. However, if she is innocent, then why was she seen conspiring with known Separatist terrorist, Asajj Ventress?" he demands.

"Ventress set me up! My master will prove that!" Ahsoka says.

"And where is your Master?" he demands.

"He's trying to find the real murderer!" she replies.

"Then maybe, he should be looking at you!" Tarkin accuses viciously.

After that statement, the Chancellor then stands up, bringing the attention to him as he prepares to speak. "I am sure, that many of you will look at this former Jedi, and think, surely she cannot be this murderer, or saboteur they speak of," he begins to say, and my gaze falls at how he speaks with an oncoming 'but.' "And yet, think of all the times we have been fooled by the Separatists, and how they have infiltrated the Republic and ask yourself, is this yet another, Separatist, scheme?"

Ahsoka's face falls sadly, and I let my arms fall to my sides hopelessly. Nobody can just see sense! WHY!?

"Another way to rip, the Jedi and subsequently all of us, apart." Chancellor Palpatine finishes.

Not long after that, one of the Jury members stands up with a datapad in hand. "The members of the court have reached a decision," he says, sending the final call to the Chancellor. He takes the note from Mas Amedda and stands up to give it.

"Ahsoka Tano, by an overwhelming count of-" he starts to say.

"Chancellor!" Anakin's voice calls out, and I bring my hands to my mouth in sheer joy. He found the mastermind! I look over to see a figure surrounded on all sides by four Temple Guards, and smile. Finally!

"I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings Master Skywalker," the Chancellor says in displeasure.

"I am here, with evidence and a confession, from the person responsible of all the crimes Ahsoka has been accused of!" Anakin states firmly, and I grin, leaning forward slightly to know who would've betrayed us all, and framed Ahsoka so harshly.

"Barriss Offee! Member of the Jedi Order, and traitor!" Anakin proclaims, and the guards step aside to reveal Barriss standing there, hands behind her back in Force binders.

My grin falls to be replaced with a look of shock, disbelief, and betrayal. That betrayal slowly begins to change into simmering, furious rage. How... how could she?!

Ahsoka widens her eyes in the same manner, horrified and hurt, and the members of the Jedi Council all glance at each other. Tarkin perks up in surprise, confusion and most importantly, displeasure. I catch a glimpse of his true feelings through the Force, and glare at him with wild and furious eyes when I realize he's angry because he satisfy himself with giving Ahsoka a death penalty.

"Barriss? Is that true?" Ahsoka asks, pain lacing her words at the betrayal, still refusing to believe it.

"Tell them the truth." Anakin says dangerously.

Barriss gazes at him with narrow eyes before looking up with a firm glare. "I did it," she says simply, and my eyes return back to glaring at Barriss, anger and hurt flowing through my gaze.

"Because I have come to realize, what many people in the Republic have come to realize! That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war!" she says with a passion. "That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict! That we are the ones that should be put on trial! All of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become. An army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the light that we once held so dearly. This Republic is failing! It's only a matter of time," she finishes, her last sentence more saddened then angry.

While I am outraged at Barriss for bombing the Temple, killing people and framing Ahsoka, despite all that anger directed towards her, some of it stems away as I listen to her words. What she did is unforgivable, that is true, but her reasoning... her words cut deep as I realize how right she was. The Jedi are not what they used to be. Ahsoka's expulsion without a fair trial is proof of that, and even Anakin feels sympathetic to Barriss, the look in his eyes saying it all as his earlier anger disappears when he gently pulls Barriss back to the Temple Guards.

"Take her away." Chancellor Palpatine says, and the Temple Guards comply, leading her back out of the court room. As she leaves, she gives me and Ahsoka one last look, and I'm shocked to see how her eyes portray sincere regret for harming the two of us. She didn't regret bombing the Temple, that I can still sense, but she didn't want me or Ahsoka to get hurt. I don't know how to feel about that.

Anakin gives Ahsoka a happy smile, and she returns it gratefully, before her head falls again in sadness. If I were nearby and in a less public area I would hug her right now.

* * *

Later that evening, we were all gathered back in the Council chambers of the Jedi Temple. I was standing beside Anakin, who stood beside Obi-Wan. Ahsoka stood in the middle of us, and me, Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at her with sorry, regret and grief in our eyes.

"Ahsoka, I am so sorry, about everything." Anakin says.

"I did tell you that I would always stand by you, no matter what happens Sweetie Horns," I recalled happily, and she nods gratefully to the two of us, a small smile on her face.

 _"Thank you little Jari,"_ she replies, unable to express how grateful she is to me and Anakin, but she doesn't neet to. I already know.

"You have our most humble apologies Little 'Soka," Master Plo says, guilt and sorrow laced in his voice. "The Council was wrong to accuse you."

I was glad someone on the Council besides Master Kenobi could recognize and admit their faults, which brought a small smile to my face.

"You have shown such great strength, and resilience in the struggle to prove your innocence." Master Tiin says.

"This is the true sign of a Jedi Knight." Master Mundi adds. I widen my eyes in surprise. Are they going to Knight Ahsoka? That's... awesome!

But then the next words from Master Windu's smart-mouth wipe my joy away, to be replaced by bewilderment and irritation.

"This was actually your great trial. Now we see that," he states, and my smile falls to be replaced by a small glare. Is he actually being kriffing serious right now?! "We understand that the Force works in mysterious ways," he continues, much to my anger.

Ahsoka glares slightly at him, crossing her arms in displeasure as he rambles on his excuse. I feel the same way. Does he not have the decency to just admit when he's wrong? Come on!

Master Windu continues still. "And because of this trial, you have become a greater Jedi then you would have otherwise," he says with a small smile, but I ca tell it's empty. Hollow like his words, as if he doesn't regret the decision to expel Ahsoka even when he now knew she was framed.

"Back into the Order, you may come." Master Yoda says, genuinely in fact. That doesn't do it however, and she continues to stare at the floor with a small frown. Seeing this, Anakin comes forward to try and salvage the situation.

 _"Don't listen to him Ahsoka. He doesn't know what the kriff he's talking about,"_ I say soothingly. She doesn't reply, much to my concern.

"They're asking you back Ahsoka," Anakin says, pulling out her Padawan braid. "I'm, asking you back. Jarik is asking you back," he says, looking at her hopefully. I step forward with Anakin as well, a smile on my face.

Ahsoka looks between us with wide eyes, then back to the braid, considering. The moment is tense, and she looks up at us fondly, reaching out a hand. We both smile happily back at her in response as she approaches.

But then, as she's about to take the braid, she closes Anakin's hand aroun it slowly, rejecting the offer as she looks at us sadly, tears brewing in her eyes. I sense her intent, and my heart stops, eyes widening in horrified realization.

No... she couldn't... please...

"I'm sorry... but I'm not coming back," she says, voice breaking as she slowly slips away.

I'm shocked, horrified, and sad all at the same time. Ahsok wasn't coming back...

 _"Ahsoka..."_ I say across the bond weakly.

 _",I just can't do it..."_ is all she manages to say, exiting the room.

Anakin looks down at his closed fist, and Master Yoda steps forwards to our slumped positions where we stand. I know Anakin is about to run after her just like me, and before we leave, I manage to glare back at Master Windu.

"Thanks a lot, Master..." I say quietly with an accusing tone in my voice, my eyes telling everything. His face is stone cold as me and Anakin run out of the Council chambers after her. I notice Obi-Wan about to run after us as well, but Master Plo holds him back. I don't know why, and I don't care right now. All I care about is getting to Ahsoka before she leaves.

We ran down the Temple to the Main Hallway, where we spotted Ahsoka walking towards the entrance at a fast pace.

"Ahsoka wait!" Anakin calls out. However she only walks faster.

"Ahsoka please! Don't go!" I cry out as we rush forwards even faster.

She finally stops before the stairway entrance, turning around slowly to face us as we catch up.

"Why, are you doing this?" Anakin asks.

"The Council didn't trust me, so how can I trust myself?" she says, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Don't think like that! You can't doubt yourself for any of this! Why would you even say that?" I cry out in disbelief, tears welling in my eyes.

"What about us? Me and Jarik, we believed in you, we stood by you!" Anakin exclaims passionately, feeling a little hurt by her words.

"I know you believe in me Anakin, and I know you'd always be by my side Jarik, and I'm grateful for that," she says sincerely. "But this isn't about you."

That statement cuts like a poisoned dagger into my heart.

"But I can't stay here any longer, not now," she says, turning away again.

"The Jedi Order is your life. You can't just, throw it away like this! Ahsoka you are making, a mistake." Anakin whispers in grief at the end, turning his head away and shutting his eyes tightly.

"Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own, without the Council, and without you," she finally says, and Anakin looks away. Tears are falling down my cheeks as I realize what she is implying.

"I understand. More than you realize, I understand, wanting to walk away from the Order." Anakin says sadly and knowingly.

"I know," she replies, glancing back at him. Anakin looks up in slight surprise, and before Ahsoka walks away, I stop her.

"Please Ahsoka... don't go. I don't know what I'd do without you..." I trail off, holding her arm. She faces me again and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know what I'd do either... but I have to leave by myself," she says regretfully.

"Then I'll come with you. I promised I would always stand by you no matter what!" I exclaim before it turns into a whisper. "I... I love you Ahsoka..." I finish quietly. She moves her hand from my shoulder to the side of my face, tears brimming in her eyes just like me while Anakin watches, letting us have our moment.

"I know. I do too," she admits, and I widen my eyes in slight surprise. "But please, don't leave the Order because of me. Please... stay to fight for what's right... for what we believe in... please Jarik," she pleads.

I want to refuse, but she would never forgive me if I left the Order just to be with her, when I could do so much more good for others in the galaxy by staying. I slowly nod, and she smiles sadly at me.

We give each other a hug, and Ahsoka then gives me a small kiss, one full of sadness and the wish to stay. She then slips away, heading down the stairs of the Temple. I stand there numbly, and Anakin steps forwards, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I don't acknowledge it, but I don't shrug it off either.

We both watch as Ahsoka slowly walks down the stairs, away from the Jedi Order, the sunset fading as we wonder if we'll ever see her again.

She then disappears from view, and I finally let my tears flow, sobbing freedly while Anakin pulls me into a small comforting hug, trying his best to keep it together as well.

* * *

 _Oh man. It's over now... no matter what happens in Star Wars, no matter what event occurs, this Arc will always bring the most emotion to me whenever I watch it. Just writing it made my eyes water up slightly, and make my heart lurch a little bit._

 _Everybody in this arc was just so cruel to Ahsoka. Never before had I wished I could punch Windu in the face and throw him out a window._

 _Poor Jarik._


	58. Chapter 57 - The Council's Arrogance

It was about a day after Ahsoka left that the Council called me and Master Kenobi back. Despite the situation, I managed a confused look towards Obi-Wan, but he was just as confused as I was.

"Must be an emergency meeting," he had said.

So there we were, standing in front of the Council, who are was very upset with, and I still didn't want anything to do with them. I probably wouldn't for a very long time.

"You summoned us Masters?" Master Kenobi asks.

"Yes. Sit, you may Obi-Wan." Master Yoda says, gesturing to Master Kenobi's seat. Me and him look at each other in confusion, and I let out a shrug, so he does as Master Yoda asks. Now I'm standing in the middle of the room, and Master Windu seems to be holding a datapad in his hand.

"So, what's this about?" Master Kenobi asks.

Some of the Masters glance at each other, then throw me a look, and I raise an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding what the deal was.

"It has come to our attention, after close observation, and an anonymous message from someone," Master Windu begins to say. "That Padawan Shan has developed a Force bond with former Jedi Ahsoka Tano."

My blood runs cold as I widen my eyes in shock, Master Kenobi looking just as surprised at them figuring it out as well.

"What!?" Master Kenobi asks Master Windu.

My shock then disappears to be replaced by irritation and annoyance, and I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes dangerously at the Council.

"What makes you think that?" I demand, voice dangerously low.

"Your recent behavior from the bombing incident has suggested as such, and we all detected it after sensing through the Force from your suspicious behavior." Master Mundi says. "And this report from an unknown individual only confirms it."

"Must we really base our claims based on a report from an unknown individual?" Master Kenobi asks in my defense. "Why would we trust this so called report?" he says, and I nod my head quickly and angrily, gesturing to Master Kenobi.

"We normally wouldn't trust in such unknown reports, that is true." Master Mundi admits.

"But due to the other variables of how Padawan Shan has been acting, lashing out with too much emotion improper for a Jedi, the Council is certain he and Ahsoka Tano share a bond with each other. Which goes against the Jedi Code." Master Windu says with a small glare, and I glare right back at him in displeasure.

"Fine. I have a Force bond with Ahsoka, and I'm proud of it." I admit out loud. "What are you going to do about it?"

A few of the Masters share looks with each other, and Master Kenobi looks at me in deep concern and worry. I would probably be a little by angry at him too, maybe blame him for telling the Council, but I know it wasn't him. He was just as surprised as me when Master Windu said it, and the report was said to be anonymous. Thankfully Master Kenobi had no part in this revelation.

"It is the Council's opinion," Master Windu says. "That Padawan Shan must sever the bond immediately, or suffer punishment for breaking the Jedi Code."

My eyes widen in shock and outrage, and Master Kenobi gaped at Master Windu.

"Now wait a second! I believe that would be a foolish move to have his bond severed. Especially now," he says in defense of me, but Master Mundi merely shakes his head.

"The bond is a distraction, and an emotional attachment. As Jedi we are above such things, and it must be removed swiftly." Master Mundi proclaims, and a few Jedi nod their heads in agreement. I glare around at all of them, rage slowly building. Master Yoda sighs and closes his eyes in worry, but I don't care about that anymore.

"We cannot just-" Master Kenobi starts to say before I interrupt him.

"No! I will never, ever break my bond with Ahsoka!" I exclaim angrily.

Master Windu glares at me. "You don't have a say in this matter Padawan. The Code forbids a Force bond."

I point my finger at him accusingly. "Well news flash, I don't care what the Code has to say anymore!" I proclaim proudly, and some of the Master's widen their eyes in surprise. "The only thing the Jedi Code has brought recently is utter failure and stupidity!"

"Padawan Shan, please, calm down." Master Plo says.

"No! I will not calm down, and I will most certainly not break the one thing Ahsoka has left that she can actually rely on!" I tell him furiously.

"Need you be reminded that Ahsoka Tano is no longer a Jedi." Master Windu states.

"And whose fault is that huh?" I say accusingly.

"She left the Temple of her own accord because she let her emotions drive her decision." Master Windu says coldly. I glare at him furiously.

"Oh yeah. Let's just forget how she was framed for a crime she didn't commit, was chased all over Coruscant, and then almost sentenced to an execution after being betrayed by this very Council!" I exclaim, pacing around. "No, the only important thing is that she lost control of her emotions during a decision to return or leave the Order."

I then stop pacing to glare back at the Council members. "Ahsoka is a 17 year old girl! I'm a 17 year old boy! And if you expect us to control out emotions like your own self-righteous selves as teenagers then your are more foolish than I thought!"

"Padawan Shan, better control should've been possible with you two, but it wasn't." Master Tiin says. "But right now, this Force bond you share with former Padawan Tano will only serve as a pathway to the dark side unless you remove it."

"Master Tiin..." Obi-Wan starts to say.

"How about you then huh? So many of you didn't even care about her! You were more than ready to feed her to the wolves!" I accuse.

"I would think carefully about your next words Padawan." Master Windu says, the threat clear in his voice.

I laugh mockingly. "Why? What will you do? Expel me?" I ask, referring to their expulsion of Ahsoka.

"A clear mind you need, Padawan. Calm yourself you must." Master Yoda says, speaking for the first time.

"Sorry Master Yoda, but I just can't. Not when I'm expected to betray Ahsoka just like everyone else!" I state angrily.

"You may suffer severe consequences if you refuse to remove the Force bond." Master Mundi warns me.

"Whatever. Bring them on! There's no way I'm listening to a Council full of Jedi Masters who are too prideful too admit their faults. If you think I would break the one thing Ahsoka has left to count on, then you can forget about it!" I declare. "That would break her, and I would be guilt ridden for the rest of my life!"

"Your thoughts of the Council are drawing to close to that of Barriss Offee's belief." Master Windu says suspiciously.

I scoff at what they're implying. "What she did was wrong and uncalled for, and I would never do that." I admit sincerely. "But her reasoning behind it, everything she said in her confession was so right! The Jedi have fallen, and we're all too arrogant to even see it!"

"We do not carry arrogance in ourselves Padawan. It is you who are seeming arrogant." Master Windu accused dangerously, but I wave him off, heading towards the doors.

"Tell that to Ahsoka's "Great Trial" Master Windu," I mock him, recalling his final words to Ahsoka for everyone to remember. Master Yoda and Master Kenobi look at Master Windu with small frowns on their faces.

"Padawan! We're not finished here yet!" Master Windu says, noticing how I was about to leave. I stop just at the doors to glance back at them all, my face morphing to one of sadness in Obi-Wan's direction before going cold again on everyone else.

"The only reason I haven't left the Order by now, is because Ahsoka made me promise not too." I tell them. "I don't give a crap what else you have to say."

With those final words, I exit the chamber before they can protest. I knew I would definitely be suffering a punishment from those self-righteous snobs for my outburst in calling them out, but I didn't care anymore. They've gone too far, and they most certainly are not the Jedi we're supposed to be.

I feel a little bad for putting Master Kenobinon the spotlight like that, since Master Windu and Mater Mundi would no doubt turn their attention to him for how I turned out, but he would be fine. Despite how much more compassionate and understanding Master Kenobi is compared to the rest, he still follows the Code faithfully and diligently, and was a well respected Jedi.

"Jarik? What's wrong?" Anakin asks me suddenly.

I blink my eyes, not realizing how far I had traveled, and I was already in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. I guess Anakin was just passing through, but I usually come here to find some measure of comfort.

"Oh, sorry Master," I say in apology. "I'm just angry with the Council right now."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Did they do something recently?"

I scoff at his question. "Yeah. They demanded I sever my Force bond with Ahsoka."

He widens his eyes in shock and anger at my answer. "What? Are you serious!?" he exclaims.

I nod my head. "Uh huh. I refused them of course, and Obi-Wan certainly tried to diffuse the situation in my defense, but they just don't care anymore."

He clenches his fist. "How did they find out about it?" he asks.

"I don't know," I saw with a scowl. "Apparently some random person out there somehow managed to discover it, and they sent an anonymous report to the Council about it."

"That's just... I can't believe they would do that." Anakin says angrily.

"Now I'm just wondering when my punishment for my "dark side" outburst will arrive." I say sarcastically.

He puts a hand on my shoulder. "Well I'm, I'm sorry about this Jarik," he says sincerely.

I let out a sigh. "I know. I'm sorry too. She was your Padawan after all," I remind him, and he nods back.

"Well, I need some along time right now," I tell him.

"Right. Then I guess I'll see you, whenever," he says and I shrug in reply, walking off into the gardens.

I find a more private area of the gardens next to a small bond, and sat underneath a tree to try and calm myself and pass some of the time. Most of my anger was spent in my outburst against the Council, so I was too tired to bother throwing another fit, not that I wanted too.

The chirping sound of a bird caught my attention, and I looked up to see the green and creamy white convor again, watching me intently.

"You again?" I say quietly, standing up.

The convor hoots at me, ruffling it's wings before taking flight, soaring past me and into the bushes, disappearing after that. I watched it go, still wanting answers to the questions I have about it.

* * *

 _Any guess on who could've sent the message about Jarik and Ahsoka's Force bond? :O_


	59. Chapter 58 - Remembrances

_**3 months later...**_

After my outburst against the Council, they sentenced me to Archive duty, away from the battle field and temporary suspension until they deemed fit to return my status as a Commander again. I didn't care, and that time period was almost up anyways, so I was fine with it. Everything else though was awful.

First, it sometimes still doesn't feel like Ahsoka is really gone, before I'm reminded of the bitter truth when I realize she's not around anymore. I've grown colder, and fallen into more of a depressed state since then, and the only people who could make me feel around were Obi-Wan, Anakin, and the younglings that me and Ahsoka chaperoned. They offered their sorrow for what happened, upset that Ahsoka was treated so badly, and I accepted their apologies with a smile. Almost everyone else in the Temple weren't as kind to me. With the exception of a few Jedi like Master Fisto, Master Yoda, or Master Sinube for example, the rest thought badly of me and were impolite, sending me small stares of distrust and disapproval whenever I walked by. Word had got out of my Force bond with Ahsoka apparently, and now I was suffering from it.

Well screw that kriffing bantha fodder. I didn't care about their thoughts directed towards me, and I especially didn't care what the Council had to say on that matter either. It's already been ingrained into their heads that attachment was the spawn of the Dark Side, which I was irritated by. How are Jedi supposed to show compassion towards others when we operate like emotionless droids? It just doesn't make sense!

During the little spare time I had away from Archive duty, I mainly spent it in my quarters, just lying in the bed without a care. I would stare at my nightstand, which is where Ahsoka's main lightsaber stayed. After she left, Anakin recovered her lost lightsabers, and kept her Padawan braid and shoto, giving her main one to me to keep hold of, since he felt I had more claim over it compared to the other two, which made sense. Anakin suggested that she get the shoto blade, and the Padawan braid obviously should be his, so that left me with her main saber.

Staring at the lightsaber, my mind drifted off as I thought of memories I had from before she left.

* * *

 _I swung my lightsaber at Ahsoka's head, and she dodged it, twirling around to strike at me with her own blade. I pulled back to block it, catching her saber with mine. She then swung her free shoot blade in my direction, forcing me to backpedal to avoid getting slashed. I changed forms to Soresu to compensate, and stayed in a state of blocking or deflecting Ahsoka's fast and aggressive attacks, waiting for the perfect moment to strike._

 _When Ahsoka finally lashed out with her main saber a little awkwardly, she overshot her strike and I took the opportunity to rush forward, catching her blade and forcing it away before swinging my lightsaber at her. However she reacts with amazing speed, using her Ataru form the jump over my head, where she landed behind me and lashed out in a kick, sweeping me off my feet with a smirk on her face._

 _I do my best to recover, rolling away from her and getting up halfway when Ahsoka strikes again, using the Force. I'm thrown back to the ground, and my lightsaber falls from my grip as Ahsoka rushes forwards, leaping on top of me with her lightsabers held at my neck, a smug grin on her face. She's practically straddling me in this position, with both of her legs around my waist as she keeps me down._

 _I let off a sigh of defeat. "Alright, you win Ahsoka," I tell her reluctantly. With a smirk, she deactivated her lightsabers and leans back, sitting on my stomach as her legs continue to straddle me on the ground._

 _"Huh. Quite the loss for you little Jari," she teases me and I roll my eyes._

 _"You didn't defeat me!" I say defensively. You just... surprised me."_

 _"Uh huh, sure," she states disbelievingly._

 _"Can I get up now?" I ask her._

 _She smirks again and leans forwards, patting my head like a pet. "Hmm, I don't know. You look pretty cute in this position of defeat," she says mischievously. Her lekku are also long enough to swing in my face, causing me great annoyance._

 _I let off a frustrated groan. "Ahsoka!" I whine pitifully._

 _"Not until you admit defeat!" she sings happily, continuing to pat my head._

 _"Alright fine, I lose fair an square, you're the winner!" I exclaim, conceding to her terms._

 _"Thank you very much little Jari," she says with a grin, standing up off of me and pulling me to my feet. I call my lightsaber back to my hand and cross my arms with a small glare on my face._

 _"You're infuriating you know that?" I ask._

 _"And you wouldn't have me any other way," she states with a smirk on her face. "You look so cute when you get upset!"_

 _"Same could be said about you when you treat me like a pillow from the couch," I retort with a grin of my own, remembering the night she fell asleep snuggled against me._

 _She shrugs her shoulders. "Alright, that's a fair point I'll give you that," she admits._

* * *

I let out a sigh, remembering that particular memory fondly. It actually happened a couple of days before the bombing, and she refused to stop teasing me about my first loss by her hands. At the time it was annoying and a small blow to my 'oh so humble' pride. Now, I would do anything to hear her snarky remarks at my expense again.

I sat up and then picked her lightsaber off of the nightstand, holding it in my hands as I fiddled with it, thinking more on past memories.

* * *

 _Running through the icy cave, crystal in hand, I grinned happily as I stared down at it, the blue glow coming forth pulsing gently in the darkness. Never before had I felt so connected to something, well, besides Ahsoka that is. This crystal was most definitely mine, and I never thought I could do this before._

 _"Ahh!" someone in front of me cried out in surprise. I_ _looked up to see Ahsoka standing right in front of me with her coat in as well, trying to stop from crashing into me._

 _I stopped running, but slipped on the ice, accidentally crashing into her, and we both fell on the ground in a heap._

 _"Jarik!" she complains, flicking me on the head._

 _"Ow!" I exclaimed, rubbing the spot where she flicked me._

 _"That's for crashing into me!" she says, getting up with a smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes and got up as well, my crystal still held in my hand. She takes notices and widens her eyes in excitement. "Did you find your crystal too?!" she asks eagerly._

 _I nod my head with a smile on my face. "Sure did! It's so cool looking," I said, holding it up for her too see._

 _"That's so awesome!" she squeals, pulling something out of her pocket. "I found my crystal too!"_

 _She holds hers up and I look at it in fascination, noticing how Ahsoka's crystal has more of a green hue and glow to it compared to my blue one. I could sense something special about them, and held my crystal closer to hers, almost instinctively. Both react subtly, the blue and green light turning into more of a pure white when it gets closer, and we watch them in awe._

 _"Whoa..." I said._

 _"You said it little Jari," she says in agreement._

* * *

Coming out of that particular memory, I look back down at her lightsaber, sensing the energy of the crystal within. Because of our Force bond, Ahsoka's kyber crystal always had some small bit of connection with me, just like how mine also has a small connection with Ahsoka. It was almost as if the crystals were paired, sharing such similar Force signatures. They definitely looked the same in a physical sense.

While still sharing our Force bond, we haven't really spoken with each other much, or at all because it's just too painful to think about, baring for a few special occasions. And it wasn't because of the distance, that only affected our ability to communicate with each other when we were a few systems away.

A couple of weeks after she left the Temple, I realized how hard it would be for her to get around Coruscant, since she had absolutely no credits with her at all. So without anybody knowing, I set up a small transfer fund over the holonet that would only be unlocked using a special code which I came up with. I told her that code over the Force bond, and if she was nearby a terminal or computer, she should be able to access the funds with no problem. I never send her too much, only enough to scrape by, because I kind of... set it up so that it takes a small pinch of credits from the Jedi Temple's credit account.

Now I know that sounds horrible, me stealing money from the Temple so Ahsoka could at least get by in the city, but to be honest, this is just a small bit of payback at the Council for turning their backs on her. Besides, the Order has more than enough money to continue on with different things. There's a whole storage vault deep within the Temple that can only be accessed by the High Council members, and it's rumored to be flowing with credits. That money isn't used for fancy stuff or pleasurable items of course, it's what pays for the Temple and all of the items a Jedi possesses.

So basically the money I'm sneaking to Ahsoka is nothing compared to how much the Temple actually holds, so it's fine. Kriff you Windu.

Setting the lightsaber back on the nightstand, I get up off of my bed and walk over to the window, opening the blinds that every room seems to have. I stared out at the horizon of Coruscant, watching the sun set with all the skyscrapers and vehicles flying by.

Since Ahsoka's departure up until this point, quite a few things have happened while I've been on suspension. A conspiracy surrounding Fives and the Kaminoans while Anakin and Jedi Masters Tiplar and Tiplee were on a mission occurred, which resulted in the death of Fives by, oh shocker, Commander Fox. I really hate that clone. Not long after, some politician named Rush Clovis came into the picture and took control of the banks on Scipio, however he was secretly aligned with Count Dooku and the Separatists, giving the banks over to them. Then the Republic military came in and now we have control over the banks, proving once again how corrupt politicians really are. Oh, and I think Anakin really hates Clovis or something, and Senator Amidala had to stop him from hurting the guy or whatever.

After that, Master Windu went on some weird field trip with Jar Jar Binks, Padme's representative, which I find hilarious. Complete polar opposites of each other working together to save a Queen from Nightsister magic. Hah.

I sighed sadly, remembering Fives' death. It was once again a bitter reminder that not everyone you know in this war is going to survive, and once again a friend of mine was lost because of the Republic, the first being Ahsoka. Now the only real friends I have left amongst the clones are Rex, Cody and Boil, who still occasionally shows signs of sadness at the loss of Waxer.

A knock on the door broke me out of my musings, and I turned around as it slid open to reveal Master Kenobi in the doorway.

"Master? What brings you here to my domain of sadness and despair?" I ask with a hint of sarcasm in my deadpanned voice.

"News of your suspension being lifted, and a new mission for us," he says. I turn to him in surprise.

"Wait, really?" I ask, unsure if I heard him right.

"Yes, really," he responds dryly. "Are you ready to get back to work? Or shall I leave you to your... brooding as you called it?" he asks. I roll my eyes, sensing that his comment was only made lightly, with no teeth in it at all.

"Alright alright, sure. What's the mission?" I ask.

"Master Plo Koon found evidence of a long lost Jedi, Master Sifo-Dyas," he informs me.

"Master Sifo-Dyas? Didn't he order the creation of the clone army?" I ask in surprise. He nods his head.

"He did. At the time when he forsaw conflict and suggested it, he was taken off the Council for his ideas to be... to extreme," he says, and I roll my eyes in irritation, crossing my arms.

"Surprise surprise, the Council was wrong again recently," I muttered.

"That's exactly what I said too when we discussed it," he recalls, and I manage a grin at how similar we think. "Well, I'll brief you on the way to meet up with Anakin," he says, walking out the door.

"Be right there Master," I call out. Turning back to look at my nightstand, I gaze hard at Ahsoka's lightsaber, considering. Finally I come to a decision, calling it to my hand with the Force, clipping the lightsaber to my belt. Wouldn't hurt to use her lightsaber in her name while she wasn't here right?

Anyways, time to find a long lost and dead Jedi Master.


	60. Chapter 59 - The Lost One

After Master Kenobi informed me of what our mission would be about, he led me to the war room, where Anakin, Master Yoda, Madame Jocasta, and a few other Jedi Masters were waiting for of them sent me a distrustful frown when I entered, but I ignored them, just focusing on what we were doing. Madame Jocasta brought up a map of the galaxy and began to explain what we knew as it focused in on a planet.

"Our records definitively state that Master Sifo-Dyas died on Felucia," she says, bringing up a hologram of the planet. "In the fifth quarter, a small skirmish broke out between the native Felucians. Master Sifo-Dyas was assigned to negotiate peace talks between the tribes. The negotiations failed, and Sifo-Dyas was killed."

 _"What became of his body?"_ Master Plo asks.

"I'm afraid I, cannot answer that. Any further information on this incident has been sealed." Madame Jocasta informs us.

"On whose authority?" Master Windu asks.

"By the office of the Supreme Chancellor," she replies, and I share a concerned look with Master Kenobi and Anakin.

"Thank you, Madame Jocasta," he says, and she bows to him, walking out of the room.

"To Felucia, Skywalker, Kenobi and Shan, will go." Master Yoda says. "A trail long cold, it is. Yet still lay hidden there, a clue might be. Question all who were present, the day of Sifo-Dyas's death, you must," he instructs us.

"And what of the sealed file?" Master Windu recalls.

"I would have suggested Jarik attempt to slice through the file," Master Kenobi begins to say, "But if it's locked by the Chancellor's Office then I'm afraid that's not an option."

I sigh but nod in agreement. The politicians of the Republic are more edgy and dangerous nowadays, and anything they say is almost law, even against a Jedi,

"Agree I do." Master Yoda says. "Speak with the Chancellor personally, I will. To see what part in this, the politics of the Senate play."

With that being said, the three of us bow and exit the room to prepare for our trip to the colorful jungle planet of Felucia.

"I'm sure I could break into that file without the Chancellor knowing," I tell them as we head towards the hanger. "Sure it'd take some time, but I could do it."

"It's not that we doubt your skills, it about how dangerous it has become to risk provoking politicians these days I'm afraid." Master Kenobi tells me.

"He's right Jarik. As much as I prefer the idea of slicing through that file, we don't have any other options in this case," he says.

* * *

"This is the most ridiculous negotiation... interrogation... whatever session I've ever attended Master," I remark, crossing my arms back inside of the ship where Anakin and Master Kenobi were.

Anakin scoffs in amused bewilderment. "I'll say. I can't even believe you actually managed to get something out of them Obi-Wan," he says, looking at Master Kenobi.

"Oh don't think it was easy. Even I had trouble deciphering their language. I couldn't really tell." Master Kenobi says with a frown. I roll my eyes.

"The universe is ending everyone! Master Kenobi can't negotiate with someone!" I exclaim in exaggeration, and Anakin shakes his head in amusement while Master Kenobi sighs, activating the communicator to Master Yoda.

"I've spoken with the tribal leaders on Felucia," he reports. "They use a very ancient dialect which is hard to understand. But from what I could make out, when Master Sifo-Dyas died he was not alone. There was a second Jedi here with him."

 _"And the name of this, second Jedi?"_ Master Yoda asks in surprise.

"Either I don't understand them or they won't say. It's hard to tell." Master Kenobi admits. "This is a primitive people we are dealing with. After his death, they cremated Sifo-Dyas' body, and I'm afraid the trail goes cold there. Did you have any success with the Chancellor?" he asks.

 _"Hmmm. As much success as usual, I'm afraid."_ Master Yoda says.

"We could always turn to me slicing open the file Master," I pipe up.

 _"Unnecessary that will be Padawan. Pointed in another direction I am now. To speak with Valorum, I go,"_ he informs us, ending the transmission.

"Well that's wonderful." Anakin remarks.

Just then, one of the younger looking primitive people heads over to our ship inquisitively, messing with our stuff.

"Hey, come on now, get off!" I say, shooing the kid away. "Go on!"

With a surprised cry, he scampers off and I let off a sigh. "This is one of the most bizarre group of people I've ever encountered."

"Not even the Talz were this difficult." Master Kenobi recalls in confusion.

"Talz? Who are the Talz?" I question in confusion.

* * *

A while later we were contacted again with more news on the investigation. We had just learned from Master Yoda that it wasn't a second Jedi who was present with Sifo-Dyas, but actually Valorum's personal aid, Silman.

"The Felucians know nothing of this Silman." Master Kenobi says. "No one seems to know anything about him!"

Anakin then hits a button on his wrist com to pull up an image of a beaded necklace. "What's that symbol he's wearing?" he asks.

 _"The symbol of the High Chancellor, before the war. Chancellor Valorum."_ Master Yoda informs us.

"Sp, we have one dead Jedi with no physical evidence of a body. A second Jedi who appeared on Felucia we have no record of, and now this Silman, personal attaché to the Chancellor, is missing?" Master Kenobi sums up in bewilderment and frustration.

"This is some messed up crap to be honest," I remark, crossing my arms.

"Yet, now we know Sifo-Dyas and Silman were both on Obadiah, according to Chancellor Valorum." Anakin reminds us.

 _"The crashed shuttle I found was located on the moon which orbits the Pike planet."_ Master Plo says.

 _"Hmm to the Pikes, you must go."_ Master Yoda tells us. _"To Obadiah."_

We nod our heads in understanding and end our transmission with Master Yoda and Master Plo.

"Well, guess we're headed to another crime syndicate," I say, and Anakin grumbles.

"Swell," he says in response.

* * *

Our shuttle came out of hyperspace above the planet, heading down to the Pike's stronghold. Anakin piloted the ship in its direction, where we could see numerous ships and cargo vessels entering and leaving the area. Most likely some trade deals relating to the Pikes or something illegal. I didn't really know.

Landing on the platform, the three of us exited to find two guards waiting for us. Once we walked past them, they turned and flanked us on either side as we headed into the Stronghold. I had to admit the place was pretty big as well. Eventually we came on what appeared to be the Throne room for the Pikes leader, and walked down the center aisle. Looking around, I eyed the place with a grimace, seeing a few Twi'lek and Togrutan women sitting on the sides, probably slaves of some kind or something else I didn't want to know. I always hated places like these.

The Pike Minister lowered his head to look at us, smoking some substance and grinned. "I cannot remember the last time a Jedi came and visited here," he says. "Many years it has been."

"Funny you should say that." Master Kenobi remarks with a small grin. "We're looking for a Jedi that got lost here. His name is Sifo-Dyas."

The Minister perks up in remembrance. Huh. "Oh.. the Jedi Sifo-Dyas was here. But that was a long time ago," he informs us.

"Master Sifo-Dyas' ship was found, crashed on a moon orbiting this world." Anakin told him.

"What you found, we know nothing about," he said, taking an offered drink from the Togrutan woman beside him. I glanced away to avoid the memories of Ahsoka. I knew it wasn't her, but Togrutan people aren't too common in the galaxy, and Master Shaak Ti is really the only other Togrutan I know.

"Would the Jedi like to join us for a refreshment?" he offers.

Anakin goes to decline but Master Kenobi stops him. "Your offer is kindly accepted."

The Minister snaps his fingers, and a Twi'lek approaches us with a tray of three drinks. We all take the glasses holding a green liquid with wary eyes, and I sniff mine slightly, grimacing in response. It's an alcoholic beverage alright, and I'm only 17. I throw Master Kenobi a small look of annoyance, and he shrugs in response.

The Minister chuckles. "To friendship?"

"Friendship!" Master Kenobi responds, holding out his drink. Anakin reluctantly goes along as well. "Friendship."

"Yeah.. friendship," I say, holding out my drink, silently begging someone else to take it.

The Pike Minister downs his drink in one go, and just as Anakin and Master Kenobi are about to reluctantly drink theirs, Master Kenobi notices something.

"What an interesting necklace you have there," he observes, gesturing to the necklace that corresponded with what Silman wore, the symbol of the High Chancellor. "May I have a look?"

"Perhaps the Pikes have taken enough of the Jedi's time?" the Minister says, and I don't miss the fact that it sounds like he wants us gone now.

"Oh no no, it's no bother at all. The Jedi are happy to know all the Pike's secrets," he replies, and I roll my eyes. Stretching my hand forth and dropping the alcohol drink, I rip the necklace from the Minister with the Force, catching it in my hand. The two guards immediately aim their blasters at us, and I hold the necklace up, the three of us completely unbothered by the threat of blasters.

"We have no quarrel with the Jedi," the Minister says.

Anakin scowls, throwing his drink on the ground as well. "Maybe you should tell us why you're wearing the crest of the Chancellor's personal advisor," he demands." he questions.

"Stop playing games! Sifo-Dyas was traveling with an advisor. They were sent here to negotiate with you!" Anakin accuses, pointing a finger at him. Master Kenobi and I both frown at the Minister.

However he only laughs in response. "Well, it looks like you have finally put the pieces together. The man you are looking for, is here," he tells us.

We glance at each other in response, stunned that he's still alive after all of this time.

* * *

The Minister leads us down a hallway to where Silman is being kept, explaining what happened. "The Pikes wanted to gain an advantage over the other crime families, so alliances were made. One alliance was with a man named Tyranus."

Master Kenobi looks at at us recognition, having heard the name before. "I've heard that name before. Jango Fett mentioned it during my Kamino investigation."

"Tyranus wanted Sifo-Dyas dead, and the Pikes were well paid, to shoot down his ship," the Minister tells us. "However, a man that is willing to pay to have a Jedi killed is dangerous and unpredictable. The Pikes inspected the crash to find the Jedi's body for proof. But, with the dead Jedi the Pikes found another still alive."

"Silman. The Chancellor's aid?" Master Kenobi deduces.

"The Pikes gave Tyranus Sifo-Dyas, but the Pikes did not tell Tyranus about Silman. The Pikes needed, insurance," he informs us, stopping at a door.

"Insurance? For what?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, insurance. And now the Pikes can bargain," he says with a grin, and Anakin shrugs at me. "We give you Silman, and you forget about the Pikes treachery against the Jedi."

We walk up to the door, which opens to reveal a dark room. A few small critters come out, and I eye them with a grimace.

"Just what kind of place has Silman been living in all these years?" I ask.

"I guess we're about to find out." Master Kenobi says as we head inside.

Once in Silman's lovely and filthy room, with only a small panel as a light source, we could sense another individual's presence, but couldn't see them.

"Hello? Anybody home?" I called out.

"Who's there?" a timid and unstable voice says in reply.

"We are Jedi." Master Kenobi response. "Sent to find you."

A sense of excitement and wariness suddenly overcomes Silman, and he crawls up to gaze at us from behind the small mound in the center of the room with wild eyes. "Jedi? To find me? Why me? I was betrayed... forgotten! Long ago!"

The three of us exchange glances. Apparently this guy's mental state has taken quite a downhill turn. This is going to be very difficult to do.

"No one knew you were alive." Master Kenobi tells him.

"Quick! Maybe you have some food?!" he asks us in an excited panic. "Have- have you- have you any food?" he questions, waving his hand with a wild glint in his crazy eyes.

"Of course," Anakin responds warily, pulling out a supply bar.

"Oho!" Silman cries out happily, scampering over to us like a wild animal, jumping up at Anakn. He cringes in response while Silman goes crazy with joy over it.

"Oh hahaha! Thank you my friend! Oh, a supply bar!" he says, grabbing it from Anakin with both hands. "Hmmm, delicious!," he says, sniffing it. "You see, I was so frightened that I would have nothing to serve!"

"Serve?" Anakin asks in confusion.

Silman continues to eye the supply bar in delight. "Oho! My babies, they get so angry when I, have nothing to serve..."

"Well... this is just... sad," I say quietly to the two next to me.

"We might have a problem here." Anakin whispers in response, glancing back at Silman who continues to delight over the supply bar.

"I think you've been cooped up in here for far too long old man." Anakin says.

"We've come to take you home." Master Kenobi adds reassuringly.

"Home? This is my home! I cant leave my friends," he protests, gesturing to all the maggots and worms on the ground. I cringe in disgust.

"You were traveling with Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas." Master Kenobi says, deciding to get to the point instead, seeing the other argument to be useless. "Tell us what happened to him."

Silman laughs crazily in response. "Sifo-Dyas, heh- he, he died!" he exclaims with a grin on his face. "die-de-die-de died! Tricked we were. The Pikes are not to be trusted! Oh, no no no no, no no! But the Pikes were not the ones! No, the Pikes were not the reason!"

Now we seemed to be getting somewhere. "Who was the reason? Who was responsible?" I question.

"Someone, powerful! Someone, who wanted to be Sifo-Dyas!" he tells us.

"Why?" Master Kenobi asks him.

"Oho! All this deception. Can't you see? Because, because-" he starts to say before being cut off. Silman starts to gag, clutching at his throat while being lifted into the air by way of the Force. We're all too stunned to do anything in response, and Silman dies, right before our eyes, flopping onto the ground with a thud.

We turn around suddenly after sensing someone, to find Count Dooku of all people standing in the doorway with a cloak and hood covering his face. He pulls out his red lightsaber, revealing his devious grin. Anakin and Master Kenobi ignite their lightsabers in response.

"Dooku! For once you actually came to do your own dirty work!" Anakin exclaims angrily.

Dooku takes off his cloak and grins challengingly at us. "Sometimes things are just that important!"

I activate my lightsaber in my right hand, and then pull out Ahsoka's in my left as Anakin and Master Kenobi charge forward, the green and blue clashing with a small amount of white. I rush forwards after them, and Anakin reaches Dooku first, attacking with powerful strikes. Obi-Wan moves up next, swinging his lightsaber, and Dooku turns his attention to him to block the attack. Finally I arrive, swinging my lightsabers in a downwards motion, and he blocks them with his own blade, shoving me back.

The three of us take turns attacking, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and then me in quick succession, pushing Dooku back down the hallway as he blocks our attacks. I catch a jab he takes at me with my lightsaber, and then swing at him with Ahsoka's blade. He maneuvers his lightsaber so that it catches both of mine, and then twirls around when Anakin attacks his left side. The door opens, and Dooku backs out of the way in response, looking at the three of us with a grin.

Anakin moves forwards first, pressing down hard with his lightsaber before moving back when Obi-Wan swings his at Dooku's feet. Dooku dodges and makes a jab at Obi-Wan, prompting me to move forward with my own attack. I slash at him with my left saber before spinning around with an upwards slash with my right saber. He blocks the first attack, then sidesteps out of the way of my second strike, forcing me to move past him or risk being hit. Anakin then moves forward with a powerful blow that Dooku deflects, and then Obi-Wan leaps forward, engaging in a small fencing duel with Dooku, which he quickly parried in response. Anakin lashes out, just barely missing Dooku's feet, and Obi-Wan leaps forwards, but is kicked by Dooku, sending him flipping through the air to land just on the very edge of the platform.

Anakin catches him with the Force, and I rush forwards to Dooku, leaping through the air over his head and lashing out with my own lightsabers. He blocks mine in quick succession, using the Force to throw me into the wall before jabbing at Anakin. He's forced to let go of Obi-Wan, who falls before managing to catch himself on the ledge just in time.

Dooku advances on Anakin, and I get up from the wall and move forwards in response, swinging my lightsaber. He blocks my attack before redirecting his counter to Anakin, who blocks. Obi-Wan then rejoins us as Anakin backpedals from a strike at his feet, and swings his lightsaber at Dooku. However Dooku dodges and grabs Obi-Wan, throwing him to the ground, and so I rush forward, but Dooku tosses me again with the Force into another wall. Anakin joins me a second later, having been kicked by Dooku, and the two of us leap out of the way as he slashes at where we were just a moment ago.

We then move quickly along the platform, Dooku facing me and Anakin while Obi-Wan comes at him from behind. We all take our turns slashing or blocking his attacks in an attempt to overwhelm him, but despite his old age, Dooku is still very agile, blocking all of our striks elegantly in quick succession. Eventually me and Anakin move out of the way as Dooku leaps over us, and Obi-Wan follows, slashing the ground where Dooku was just a moment ago. He gets up, grunting with exhaustion from our bout, and I manage a grin. Powerful and skilled Dooku may be, but he tires quickly now because of his age.

The door behind Dooku suddenly opens, and Minister Long and a small army of Pikes arrive, brandishing blasters at Dooku.

"You have no business left with the Pikes Tyranus." Minister Long says, and our eyes widen in realization and recognition.

"Tyranus?" Obi-Wan asks in shock. "You are the man called Tyranus?!"

Dooku turns to us with a angry glint in his eye, scowling in displeasure at his secret identity being found out. "I told you everything you needed to know on Geonosis all those years ago Kenobi. You should have joined me," he says, pointing his lightsaber at us. "Sifo-Dyas understood, he saw the future. That is why he helped me!"

"You lie," Obi-Wan fires back angrily. "Minister Long, if you're going to help us, now is the time."

"Kill Tyranus!" Minister Long says, and the Pikes all open fire on Dooku. He blocks a few shots before thrusting a hand towards us with the Force. The Pikes on our side are all knocked down, and the three of us are pushed back, managing to weaken Dooku's Force push on our own.

We glance up to see Dooku advancing on Minister Long, blocking blaster fire, and we all get up to prepare for our own Force push in retaliation. We twirl around each other and push our hands out, unleashing a devastating Force push against Dooku. However it backfires when he merely jumps over it, and the Force slams into the Pikes instead as Dooku lands behind them. Minister Long looks up, and Dooku stabs him with a malicious grin in his eyes.

More Pikes rush through the doors as me, Obi-Wan and Anakin move forward with our lightsabers, staring at Dooku, who frowns back at us. He then deactivates his lightsaber, and steps backwards off the ledge much to our shock. We rush forwards to see him standing on a cargo shuttle that's leaving the fortress.

"We'll give you a push!" Obi-Wan tells Anakin, and he nods as we all deactivate our lightsabers. Anakin backs up before running forwards, leaping off the platform. Me and Obi-Wan assist him with the Force, pushing him as far as we could, where he disappears once landing on the cargo shuttle.

"So... Dooku is Tyranus? The guy who hired Jango Fett?" i ask Obi-Wan, still stunned by the revelation.

"Apparently so. This is very concerning," he replies, stroking his beard.

"By why would the Sith give us an army unless..." I trail off, remembering what happened not too long ago. Jedi Master Tiplar leading clone forces before being shot down by Tup, who died not long after. Fives' claim of a chip imbedded in every clones brain.

"The army is just a trap for us," I say in realization. "Just like Fives said, and nobody believed him!" I exclaim in shock.

Obi-Wan widened his eyes in the same realization. "Oh no... what have we done," he says sadly.

* * *

 _"Know now we do, that guide the creation of the clones from the beginning, Dooku did. Hmm."_ Master Yoda says, deeply troubled. _"Our enemy, created an army for us."_

 _"If this was known, public confidence in the war effort, the Jedi, and the Republic would vanish. There would be mass chaos."_ Master Windu says. I raise an eyebrow in surprise, not liking where this was going.

 _"Cover up this discovery, we must. No one, not even the Chancellor, may know."_ Master Yoda says, and I bite my lip in aggravation. I just knew that this was going to bite us in the back.

 _"Valiant men, the clones have proven to be. Saved my life and yours, they have many times. Believe in them we must. Win the war swiftly, we must. Before our enemies designs reach completion, whatever they may be."_ Master Yoda decides.

 _"Are you sure, we are taking the right path?"_ Master Windu asks.

NO! I so desperately want to shout. We can't just do nothing about this!

 _"Hmm, the right path, no. The only path, yes."_ Master Yoda says grimly. There has to be another way right? _"Designed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, this web is. For now, play his game, we must."_

I glance at Master Kenobi, and he nods his head slightly to allow me to speak. "Master Yoda, couldn't we do something to prepare at least? ARC trooper Fives reported that the clones all have chips in there heads to make them do whatever someone wants. Couldn't we renew our investigation into that?"

 _"Hmm. Gone from that incident, the evidence is. But look into it more, you have permission to Padawan, if stay within the law, you do."_ Master Yoda says reluctantly, and I bow my head in response.

I just only hope this move by the Council to cover up a cover up doesn't backfire. It sounds way to arrogant for my liking, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm already deemed to unorthodox by the Council as it is, and I should consider it a miracle Master Yoda is even allowing me to do this.


	61. Chapter 60 - Voices

**_Yoda POV_**

After learning that my former Padawan Count Dooku was the man known as Tyranus, the one who engineered the creation of the Clone Army, I was deeply troubled and concerned by this revelation. Learning how blind we all were, even myself to this knowledge, was worrisome. These past 13 years have been difficult for the Order, ever since the blockade of Naboo so long ago. I was currently in meditation in my quarters in search of answers, yet none were coming forth to me. The Dark Side appeared to cloud everything, even within the Temple, which I could not understand. And yet, most of my worry was focused towards Padawan Jarik Shan. Ever since the Temple bombing where we lost Padawan Ahsoka Tano, he had become detached from most concerns, finding joy only in those close to him, most likely longing for the companionship that he shared with Ahsoka.

I sighed sadly, deep in conflict on how to feel about him. He is young, easily susceptible to his attachment to others, although not as much as Skywalker, this is true. However the things he believes, I find some measure of truth in them. In recent times he has begun to ignore the Jedi Code, which we have followed for millenia, and yet he is still pure at heart, his beliefs having truth in them. Many of us in the Jedi Order have grown some level of arrogance or stiffness, and it's only now when it is too late that I see that. We did unfortunately throw young Ahsoka to the Senate unfairly, and we paid the price in the loss of a wonderful young Jedi. My close friend MAce doesn't see it that way, yet I am beginning to see it as such. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Jarik all had the right idea of how to handle the situation with Ahsoka, and yet we ignored it. Foolish, it was for us.

 **"Yoda..."** a voice calls to me. I open my eyes.

"Hear you, I do," I respond, looking around and stretching forth with the Force. "Who are you?"

Nobody answers however, and I close my eyes again to return to meditation. "My imagination, it must be."

 **"No,"** the voice says immediately, much to my surprise. I find myself troubled to sense some form of familiarity in it. **"It is I, Qui-Gon Jinn."**

"That cannot be," I say, stunned. "Dead you are."

 **"No!"** the voice persists. **"I am part of the living Force Yoda."**

I open my eyes in surprise, the Force suddenly shifting around me with much power. I look to see the candles being extinguished, and then the desk, chair and even myself are lifted into the air much to my shock. Everything then drops back to the floor as the power in the Force dissipates as quickly as it arrived.

"Impossible..." I breathe out in shock, sensing it too be true.

 **"You must speak with Jarik Shan..."** Qui-Gon's voice instructs me before fading away into the Force.

* * *

 _ **Jarik POV**_

I sat on one of the meditation cushions in my quarters, staring at my nightstand in another one of my brooding sessions. Yeah, brooding. Deal with it. I'm not the fun, snarky go-happy Jedi I used to be when I first became a Padawan. On the nightstand was mine and Ahsoka's lightsaber, laying right next to each other. On the outside it seemed like two regular objects just lying on a desk, but through the Force, I could sense how they were intermingling, both kyber crystals reacting gently to each others presence. It was one of the best things I could focus on to keep my mind clear and calm, and peaceful.

It was especially helpful in helping to ease my frustrations away with my investigation into the clone army. As expected, all the files about the creation of the army are either very vague, have no useful information, or are blocked by heavy firewalls. Someone clearly doesn't want other people to know about it. And yet what was most suspicious for me was how so many of these files were blocked by the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, just like the file on Sifo-Dyas was. Suspicious if you ask me.

I had asked Master Kenobi about anything Jango might have said about Tyranus, and what Dooku told him all those years ago back on Geonosis. He responded saying he had nothing to say about Tyranus, except that he hired Jango. As for dooku, he said that the Senate was under control of the Sith, but brushed that off as impossible, stating that we would have known such things.

And yet so many of these files are blocked by the Chancellor's Office...

I definitely wasn't asking Anakin about it for obvious reasons. He practically worships the Chancellor. The only positive I have about that relationship is that the Chancellor isn't an arrogant self-righteous dweeb like Tarkin. At least he doesn't portray himself like that.

 **"Jarik..."** a voice suddenly spoke up, and I looked around in surprise, broken from my thoughts.

"Who's there?" I ask, looking at everything in my room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I shook my head with a small grimace, returning to my meditation. Great, now I'm going crazy and imagining voices.

 **"You are not imagining things,"** the voice suddenly says again, sounding more feminine this time. **"We have been watching you."**

I suddenly sense a massive surge in the Force and open my eyes, gasping in shock and standing up, backing away. In front of me was a misty figure, a smokey image that showed a woman, most likely a Jedi considering her attire. She had fair skin and blue-grey eyes, her black hair sporting braided ponytails on either side of her face. She wore tight-fitting combat attire in a olive-gold color, and a double bladed lightsaber was resting on her belt. Her hands were clasped together in front of her. I feel like I've seen her before.

"Who are you?" I demand, raising my left arm in front of me defensively.

 **"My name is Satele young Padawan,"** she tells me, and I glance downwards for a moment.

"Satele..." I murmur quietly. "Should I... should I know you?"

 **"Maybe,"** she replies, her voice echoing. **"You have seen me before, when you defeated Darth Revan."**

I widen my eyes in surprise, remembering exactly what she was talking about.

 _The same white and green convor sits on a branch a few feet away from me, staring at me with unblinking eyes. In the shadows beyond it I see vague glimpses of Bastila, Light Side Revan, and a woman who holds a strong resemblance to Bastila, but carries a double bladed lightsaber on her belt._

I come out of my memory to stare at her in awe again, recalling her from the history lessons. "You're Grandmaster Satele..." I whisper.

 **"I am. And now I will guide you. Speak with Yoda,"** she instructs me.

"Why will I speak to him?" I question.

 **"Speak to him, and find out..."** she says, suddenly dissipating into nothing.

"Wait! come back!" I cry out, moving forwards, but it's too late. She disappears into nothingness, and I looked away in confusion, before my gaze settled into determination. I wanted to find out what the heck was going on, and what Master Yoda had to do with this.

* * *

Apparently the moment I left my quarters a younger Padawan came up to me with a message from Master Yoda.

Oh wow it was Caleb Dume, hah. That guy is funny.

Anyways, Caleb told me that Master Yoda had sent for me, wishing to discuss something in private much to my surprise. Thanking him, I sent Caleb on his way and headed to the outside courtyard of the Temple, where Master Yoda was waiting for me.

"You, wished to see me Master Yoda?" I ask, coming to a stop before him. He turns around to face me and looks up with sad eyes.

"Wish to apologize for recent decisions, I do. Wrong it was, to hurt you so badly, yes." Master Yoda says. "Blamed Ahsoka, we should have not. Treated you and her wrongly, we did. for that, sorry I am," he says sincerely, and I look away, upset from the reminder but grateful to him for apologizing and admitting their actions were wrong.

"Thank you, Master," I say quietly, pulling myself together. "But it's already done. There's nothing more to do about it."

"Perhaps," he responds in agreement. "But to speak of such things, call you here for, I did not. Heard voices, I have."

I look at him in surprise and confusion. "You have?"

"Yes. And voices you have been hearing also, hmm?" he asks me knowingly.

I nod my head slowly. "Yes Master, I did. Someone who should be dead... came to me," I answer truthfully, not seeing the point to hide any details. "She said her name was Satele, the Grandmaster from the days of the Old Republic."

"Hmm. Connected to her you are," he deduces. "The voice I heard, Qui-Gon it was, Obi-Wan's former Master."

"Master Qui-Gon?" I ask, stunned. "Well, what does this mean Master?" I ask him in concern, a little disturbed by this revelation.

"Uncertain am I, but learn more, we must," he deduces, turning away.

* * *

A few days later, me and Anakin were called to the Halls of Healing, where Master Yoda was lying in a bed. Apparently since our discussion, Master Yoda went all out in trying to find answers to the mystery behind these long-dead Jedi, even going so far as to go close to death in a massive jar of water. I had to admit for an old guy, Master Yoda had guts. It was awesome.

Anyways, we walked past the Temple guards on the way in, and I frowned slightly. Anakin told me that the Council believed Master Yoda was under a spiritual attack by the Sith, because of his connection to Dooku as a Master and Apprentice. Oh, and they shot down the idea of there being a possibility in communing with those who are already dead.

Ridiculous. And I'm glad I decided not to consult with them in this matter. The Council thinks they know everything there is to know about the Force, but I think otherwise, and I'm sure Yoda does too.

"You asked for us Master?" Anakin asks.

Yoda grins up at us. "Yes. Friends we are? Hmm?"

Me and Anakin look at each other, and I shrug in response. "Of course Master," I respond.

"A choice you must make. Worried I am for you Skywalker." Master Yoda tells us, sitting up and grabbing his cane.

"Why is that?" Anakin asks.

"Do something for me and Padawan Shan, you must. Blamed, you will be," he says with an amused grin.

"For us? What are you saying Master?" I ask.

"What must I do?" Anakin questions as well.

"Help me to escape, yes." Master Yoda says quietly.

"Escape?" Anakin asks in bewilderment. "But you're not in prison."

"No, hm? Perhaps," he says, glancing over at the Sentinels guarding the door. We both follow his line of sight. "But perhaps I am. Already all around us, the cage may be. A journey I must make. And so must Padawan Shan."

"Where would we be going Master?" I ask in confusion as Master Yoda hops down from the bed.

"A journey we are going Padawan, but separate from mine, yours will be. Alone our paths will be."

"The Council will not want you to travel at all. Alone even less." Anakin reminds him with reluctance.

"Disobeying the Council, your expertise is, yes?" Master Yoda says rhetorically, and Anakin frowns while I stiffle my laughter. He glares at me and I shrug.

"What? It's true you know," I say defensively.

He sighs in exasperation. "Oh great."

"And that is why I ask for your help." Master Yoda continues. "It is the spontaneity, you find so easily, which others do not. That is what sets you apart," he tells Anakin.

"Now, a walk, you will take me on. Come, come." Yoda says, walking towards the door.

"Uh, where are you going?" Anakin asks in concern, and I move along with him.

"Some fresh air, I require." Master Yoda tells the guards, who stand in front of him with their hands out, blocking his way.

"It's ok, he's with us." Anakin tells the guards, gesturing to me and him. "We'll watch him."

Seeing us, the guards bow and let us pass by, and we walk through the doors to exit the Halls of Healing.

"Oh, I hope I don't regret this." Anakin says in concern.

"If all else fails, blame the plan on Master Yoda. They wouldn't dare give him a punishment," I remark with a grin on my face. Master Yoda chuckles in amusement.

"Yes yes, my plan it is! So bear the consequences I will," he says happily, walking forwards.

"So, if you're going alone on your own journey Master," I begin to ask. "Then why am I going somewhere else separately?"

"Where I am going, reveal it I will not. But for you Padawan, to Lothal you must go. A revelation awaits you there," he tells me.

"Lothal?" Anakin asks, and we share looks on confusion. "What could be all the way out there?"

"Uncertain am I. Guide you, the Force will." Is all Master Yoda has to say. Anakin looks at me, and I shrug in response.

* * *

Once we reached the Temple Hanger, R2 and R5 rolled forwards, sometimes butting heads with each other before stopping in front of us obediently.

"Hey R2, I have a mission for you." Anakin says. "Doctor Nema's gonna notice Yoda's missing any minute now. Get him to a ship as fast as possible and get him out of here."

R2 beeps in response, activating his boosters and Yoda hops onto the droid as they head to a ship, preparing to take off. Down the hallways in the distance I notice Master Yoda and Doctor Nema running towards us, and give Anakin a salute.

"Well, I'm off on Master Yoda's crazy journey," I tell him with a smirk.

"You better come back in one piece or else Obi-Wan will have my head," he warns me, although a small grin is also on his face. Glancing back at the approaching Council member, who looks very displeased, I rush off towards my starfighter.

"Come on R5, let's get moving!" I call out. He follows very quickly, not interested in getting caught up in Master Windu's wrath either.

I hop into the cockpit, and R5 secures himself into his hatch, starting up the ship and I pilot us out of the hanger, blasting off through the sky just as Master Windu and Doctor Nema reach the hanger.

I wonder what's on Lothal.

* * *

Coming out of hyperspace above the Outer Rim planet, I gazed upon the blue and brown planet with interest. Sure enough just like Master Yoda said, the Force seemed to be calling to me there for some reason.

R5 beeps questioningly to me.

"I, don't exactly know where we're going R5," I told him.

He squealed in outrage, demanding why we had come here in the first place then.

"Hey don't get an attitude with me! Master Yoda told me to come here, so I came here!" I said defensively. R5 beeped angrily again.

"Well, unless your programming has any knowledge of the Force you should probably stop asking that question," I retort, and R5 grumbles before calming down in acknowledgement.

I sighed and closed my eyes, reaching out into the Force. I stretched my consciousness across the planet, looking for anything to give me a clue of what to look for. The kyber crystals inside of my lightsabers glowed dimly in response, and Satele's voice came to me once again.

 **"Look for the Temple. It is this way..."** she says.

I subconsciously direct the ship down in the direction that I could feel, ignoring R5's displeased beeps. This was his usual attitude, and I have experience in the art of ignoring him at this point. A few minutes later, I touched the ship down in the grassy plains and opened my eyes to reveal a large spire of rock in front of me.

R5 beeped sarcastically, saying that my discovery of a rock was truly fascinating. I open the cockpit and step out, feeling more through the Force than could be visible.

"It's more than just a rock R5," I say in realization, walking forwards. "You know what, I think it would be best if you stayed with the ship."

He beeps back at me, and I throw him a smirk. "Unless you'd like to come on a mysterious Force journey with me?"

He's silent, considering before turning away with a long beep.

"That's what I thought." I said triumphantly, walking forwards to the large spire of rock. I looked at it, feeling a sensation coming from it through the Force, but unsure of what to do next. I then got the impression to look down, seeing a small mark of a circle in the dirt. I stood in it, reaching out through the Force before breathing in and out.

 **"Use the Force Padawan..."** Satele's voice instructed me.

I closed my eyes and raised my right arm out to the spire, calling upon the Force to guide me. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but I persisted, until I felt myself being guided by the Force to unlock what was hidden. Motioning with my hand, the rock began to rise upwards in twists and turns, although not without a struggle.

I grimaced, concentrating on the Force. Kriff, this was hard!

Eventually, the rock spire finally stopped twisting and rising, and I opened my eyes with a tired sigh, looking up at what was revealed. Standing before me was a doorway into the spire, engraved with carvings and marks, the doorway calling to me with the Force. I breathed out and widened my eyes in awe when I realized what it was.

"A Jedi Temple..." I breathed in awe.

Following along with the Force, I headed forwards, entering the Temple to see what secrets lay within, and why I was to be called here.

* * *

 _Hahaha! Get rekt and trolled by my cliffhanger! I'm the real dark lord of the Sith mwahaha!_

 _In all seriousness though, the reason I'm currently spouting out chapters like a genius is that I'm on spring break right now. It's glorious._

 _I bet you guys are all fanboying or fangirling, whichever you prefer, by the appearance of Satele Shan and the Jedi Temple on Lothal lol. Keep in mind that Satele's last name isn't known yet, so Jarik has no idea they're related._


	62. Chapter 61 - Destiny

_**Jedi Temple - Lothal**_

 **Jarik POV...**

I walked down the entryway into the Jedi Temple, looking around at all the strange markings on the walls. Ancient pictures of different figures, coming from the sky and descending on the inhabitants on the ground, as well as wolves. I ran a hand across one of the carvings before continuing onwards.

Down the steps of one of the hallways, I came across a large open area, with columns and other doorways, leading to new areas within the Temple. The only light was coming from small little holes leading to natural sunlight, so the place was rather dim. Sensing a shift in the Force, I turned around to see Satele standing on the opposite side of the room, watching me.

"Why am I here?" I ask her.

 _"To learn of the past, and to prepare for the future,"_ she says in response.

I raise an eyebrow at her, crossing my arms.

"The future?" I ask, confused. "What happens in the future, and why would I need to learn about the past?"

 _"What happens in the future is not my place to say. But if you are to prepare for what is to come, knowledge that is lost must be brought forth,"_ she tells me. _"To learn from, and to understand."_

I nod slowly, not fully understanding but having a small grasp on what she means.

"Alright. So... how do I learn that?" I ask her.

She steps to the side and waves her arm, gesturing to the doorway behind her.

 _"This way Padawan. I cannot help you further,"_ she tells me.

I uncross my arms and walk forwards to the doorway. I stop, hesitating and look to Satele, who nods before dissipating into nothing. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I reopen them and stride forward down the pathway that Satele directed me to. It isn't lit up like the chamber I just came from, so I take Ahsoka's lightsaber in hand and activate it, bathing the corridor in a gentle, green glow. I head through the Temple, the silence unnerving, but the Force continues to beat strongly around me, in gentle pulses, almost reacting to my presence.

After exiting the corridor, I come across another chamber, which is still dark, so I continue to use the lightsaber for light, waving it around to get a view of the area. A small golden gleam towards the other side gets my attention, and I decide to move towards it, not knowing what else I'm supposed to be looking for. When I get close enough to see it in the light of my lightsaber, I stop, staring forwards and gasping in shock.

In front of me is a large painting or mural, which depicts the Daughter, the Father, and the Son standing together. Behind them is a golden rock spire, bearing a strong resemblance to the Lothal Temple, surrounded by golden lines and circles in intricate markings. The Father holds his hand upwards in a balanced position, the Daughter has hers at her side, and the Son's hand is enclosed in a fist. Then something else gets my attention, making me widen my eyes in surprise.

On the Daughter's shoulder sits the white and green convor that I've been seeing all this time. Ever since Mortis that convor has been watching me, and maybe Ahsoka as well, I don't know! All I know is it's there, and now I know why I've been seeing it so much.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I breathe out in awe.

I stride forwards, gazing up at the massive mural. Why was this here? Was this what I was supposed to learn about?

"Well this is very fascinating... but how does a mural help me?" I ask myself. "Is there some sort of message in the painting?"

Deciding to do what Master Yoda said and trust in the Force to guide me, I close my eyes as I rest my hand on the painting. I was sure this had something to do with why I was sent here, but for what I still didn't know. It took a couple of minutes before I sensed any response.

I reopened my eyes and gazed at the Daughter, feeling some sort of connection to her, and the convor. Examining her hand with narrowed eyes, I noticed the golden ring around it, and move closer in its direction. Raising my hand and resting it on hers, I close my eyes again and call upon the Force to help me with what I'm supposed to learn. A few moments later I get a feeling of clarity and open my eyes, stepping back as the Daughter's hand glows in response, lighting up the area.

I deactivate my lightsaber and then watch in shock and awe as the mural actually moves, the lines all connecting together before lighting up in a golden glow, illuminating the place. The glow fades, but the room still stays lit, and then the Force moves forwards in a massive surge.

 _"We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end,"_ the Daughter says, her image moving to stare at the Father and nodding.

I widen my eyes in surprise, backing up slightly. Whispers in the Force flow around me, to muffled to make out, and the Father then moves his hand. He points to the right with his hand, and I look over to see some sort of wolves drawn near them. I look at them in confusion before blinking my eyes in shock when they look directly at me.

The gaze of those wolves is unsettling, and it feels almost as if they're peering into my very soul, determining my worth. A few moments later they stand up from their positions on the ground and then walk across the wall in the direction the Father is pointing. I follow along with the wolves, wondering where they were going. Perhaps they would show me something?

Another few feet go by when the wolves stop their position, and begin to walk up and around in a circle. I frown and step forward, sensing an anomaly with this... gateway. I put a hand forward and touch the wall, finding it to be normal stone of course, but then my hand phases through with a small electric charge to my utter shock.

"What the kriff?!" I exclaim in surprise, yanking my hand back.

I look at my hand for anything wrong, but it seems fine much to my relief. I would've hated to lose another arm. Look up at the gateway again, then back at the mural of the Mortis Gods, I breathe deeply to ready myself for whatever may lay beyond, and then enter the gateway, phasing through the wall.

* * *

 ** _Wellspring of Life - Deep Core_**

 **Yoda POV...**

I watched as the five beings of the Force reappeared in front of me, after I had conquered my dark side. They continued to instruct me, showing that I had much more to learn than I realized.

"Deep in your core, you felt that we had nothing to teach you. But you must trust in our teachings," Serenity informs me. "If you are to succeed."

"And... what of Padawan Shan? On his journey, his place in the Force, what he must do? Still young he is," I ask in concern for Jarik.

"Jarik Shan? That young boy? He is on his own foolish quest!" Anger exclaims.

I raise an eyebrow at them, feeling great worry for Jarik.

"He is on a quest of his own rediscovery," Serenity answers. "In order to prepare for the coming future, he must know who he truly is, and is being guided through."

"Rediscovery? Mean, what do you?" I ask in confusion.

"But what if he can't handle the truth?" Sadness cries out. "What if it's too much for him to bear?!"

"Strong he is. Faith in Padawan Shan, I have," I say firmly in his defense.

"Then you must trust that his journey is for him alone, as yours is for the Force," Serenity instructs me, and I look down in concern for Jarik, before releasing my worries into the Force, trusting that Jarik will take care of himself.

I let out a sigh before replying. "Then ready I am, for what comes next."

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple - Lothal_**

 **Jarik POV...**

I felt like I was floating through space after traveling through the portal, with smoke passing by me on all sides. I didn't know what to think, but that's when the voices came to me.

 _Truly wonderful the mind of a child is._

That was Master Yoda...

 _What is this place?_

Master Kenobi? Why am I hearing these voices so randomly?

 _A conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows._

 _It's energy, surrounds us, and binds us_

 _Just when you begin to understand the Force, you find out how little you actually know._

That last voice was Ahsoka... she sounded so much older than the last time I heard her. And so much wiser too... is this the future? I don't understand what's going on!

Before I could think on this anymore I'm suddenly flung out of the small misty gateway and onto the ground. I grunt in surprise, rubbing my head as I slowly got up before looking around. What I saw made me gape in surprise. Surrounding me was a massive void and expanse of stars, all twinkling in the distance. Stretching for who knows how long were many paths with white borders floating through nothing, twisting and turning as if gravity had no power here. Hundreds of gateways similar or different to the one I just came through littered the place, some close by while others appeared miles away.

"Well this is certainly my weirdest mission by far..." I say quietly, to stunned to say anything else. The silence is heavy in this void, no sound being made, even more quiet than the vacuum of regular space.

Deciding to explore the surrounding area, I walk forwards on the white glowing pathway, which is transparent in the middle. My footsteps seem to echo loudly through the silence of this mystical plane of existence. And the Force feels... so strong. As strong as the intersection back on Mortis I believe. The voices then come back, echoing around me quietly, some I could understand, others I could not.

 _Train yourself to let go..._

Master Yoda's voice againm immediately followed by someone I don't recognize, yet stirs a feeling of familiarity.

 _I'm not doing it for you._

 _...of everything you fear to lose._

 _I'm doing it for our child._

Who's child? Who is that?

"Master Yoda?" I call out, but of course there's no response as I walk along the pathway, the transparent ground rippling like water beneath me.

 _I see your eyes..._

 _The time to fight is now!_

 _One shall stand... one shall fall..._

 _We are bonded forever._

I don't recognize any of those people, but the last one spoke in a way that reminded me of the Daughter, yet clearly wasn't her.

 _The Force showed me that you would need my help..._

That was Satele speaking! What...

 _We'll see each other again._

 _I won't leave you! Not this time..._

I stopped briefly in response to Ahsoka's voice, my heart fluttering with grief at how emotional she seems to be whenever she says what I just heard. What do these voices mean? Is it the past... and the future? Is Ahsoka talking about me?

 _I believe that._

 _...on Alderaan..._

That's Satele again.

 _...the Avatar State is a defense mechanism..._

 _...you don't know the power, of the dark side..._

I shiver at the darkness coming from that voice.

 _It is his nature!_

That was the Daughter talking about the Son when he killed her, before transferring her power to save Ahsoka from death.

 _I looked at him, and I saw myself._

That kid sounded younger than me, wow.

 _Nothing could make me feel safer..._

I feel like I've heard that voice from somewhere...

 _All I wanted to be was the Avatar!_

 _...than to be loved by you._

 _Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope._

Again, someone who I don't recognize but sends a pang of familiarity through me. Is it someone I've met... or will meet?

 _You never would've made it as Obi-Wan's padawan..._

That was Anakin...

 _...greater than any Jedi..._

 _...but you might make it as mine._

The sound of a bird hooting gets my attention, and I look over to see the convor sitting on one of the gates, much to my surprise.

"You again?" I ask out loud, heading in its direction.

The gate that the convor appears to be standing on has some sort of symbol at the top. In the center was a small circle, flanked by four long trapezoids with two on each side, and surrounding that all was a circle.

"You're connected to the Daughter, aren't you?" I ask it, seeking for an answer. "Why have you been watching me? Have you been watching Ahsoka?"

It chirps again, fluttering its wings as it looks down at me, almost as if in a yes fashion.

"Well... why?" I ask in confusion.

The convor looks down at the gateway it's sitting on, which starts to glow with a golden color. I raise an eyebrow in surprise and confusion but continue to watch the gate. The golden glow then moves to form a figure in the center, and behind him is a whole line of many different people, male and female, all human. The man standing before me reminds me of Revan, but I get the feeling that it isn't.

He's wearing golden armor underneath a black cloak and cape, with his hood down. A golden version of Darth Revan's mask was clipped to his belt, and two lightsabers that looked eerily similar to mine were hanging from his belt as well. What surprised me the most was his face and how similar it looked compared to me, with brown hair reach just past the shoulders, some of it braided, and a thin beard and goatee covered his face.

"Who are you?" I ask the figure hesitantly.

"I am you," he replies. I blink in shock, not expecting that answer.

"You... what? How can you be me? I'm me!" I say in bewilderment.

"Because I am what you can become," the man responds.

To my surprise the Force seems to hum with truth, and I eye myself warily with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok... so I'm suddenly talking to future versions of myself? Am I sure I'm not insane?" I ask rhetorically.

'Future-me' only smiles in amusement.

"Trust me, this isn't the weirdest thing you'll see," he says rather humorously.

"Is that right," I deadpan quietly. "Well... why are you... or why am I talking to myself right now?"

"Because it's time for you to understand," he says.

"Understand what?" I ask warily.

"Where you came from, and why you are set on this path," future me responds.

He suddenly dissipates into nothingness, and the gateway's image travels quickly along the line of people behind him, their faces moving by at a blur. I widen my eyes in surprise when the image stops on Satele, much to my confusion. What does she have to do with this?

"I thought you said you couldn't go further?" I ask her.

"No. But you must go deeper. Back to the beginning, back to my own ancestors," she tells me.

"But... wasn't I supposed to focus on my past?" I ask in confusion.

"That's the idea Padawan," she responds cryptically, smiling as if she knows something I don't.

She then dissipates as well just like the older me into nothingness, and the image shifts past a few more generations until it stops on... to my shock, Revan and Bastila; the light side version of Revan.

"It's good to see you again young Jarik," Bastila says with a small smile.

"You guys again?" I exclaim in surprise. "Satele is your descendent?!"

Revan nods.

"She certainly is, and she was a wonderful Jedi. And you can be too," he tells me.

"Why? What's so special about me?" I ask them.

"Have you not yet figured it out?" Bastila asks, and I shake my head in response.

"Figured what out?"

"Your father was a good man, but he was just that, a regular man. Your mother however, was descended through the bloodline of the Shan family; our direct descendants," Revan reveals, and I freeze up in shock.

"What...?" I whisper in disbelief, stunned by this revelation. I back away with wide eyes, shaking my head. "You're saying I'm descended from you?! No, that- no that can't be true!"

"It is Jarik," Bastila insists gently. "You are our last living descendant. The Force kept our family hidden for generations until now."

"I'm related to Revan and Bastila...!" I whispers to myself in shock, in a daze from this revelation.

"And it is why we come to you now," Revan says.

I look up, eyes slightly teary, from joy or sadness I'm not sure, maybe just plain shock.

"Why... what am I supposedly going to do?" I ask quietly.

"Like most of our family, you are a special case compared to the rest of the Jedi," he tells me. "Unorthodox, some would say."

"And is that supposed to be a bad thing?" I questions with a small frown.

"Quite the opposite," Bastila tells me with a shake of her head. "The Jedi of your time have forgotten what it means to be proper wielders of the Force. Yet you understand more of how to be a pure soul at heart."

"What do you mean? I know the Jedi are messed up right now but... I don't understand," I ask in confusion.

"The dark side only brings destruction and evil, and is wrong, that's true. But what the Jedi believe, in emotions being the cause of the Sith, is wrong. Without attachment, you have nothing to fight for, and you cannot hope to understand the pure essence that is the Force," Revan says knowingly. "It's what brought me and Bastila together after all."

He grins at her, slinging an arm across her shoulders. Bastila rolls her eyes but smiles at me.

"You and Ahsoka share a wonderful bond with each other. Don't ever lose sight of that," she says.

I smile lightly at the memory of Ahsoka.

"Yeah... she sure is something. I'd never break that bond with her," I murmur.

"We know, Jarik," Bastila says approvingly.

"I thought your outburst on the Jedi Council was brilliant," Revan remarks rather humorously.

"Wait, you saw that?!" I ask in surprise.

"Of course. Satele did tell you that we were watching you," he replies, and I smile sheepishly, rubbing my neck.

"Well... that's cool I guess," I say quietly. "I have so many questions..."

"And you will learn those answers in time, but not here, and not now," Revan says sadly.

"What? Why not?" I ask in confusion.

The convor chirps again, ruffling its feathers, and I look up in surprise, having forgotten it was there.

"A darkness is covering the galaxy as we speak. It has been in motion for a millennia, under the guise of the Jedi," Revan informs me. "You have felt it before."

"The Sith Lord from Mandalore?" I ask them.

"The very same. I cannot reveal any more at this moment, but time you will restore the Jedi Order to what it should have been," Revan says.

"How?" I ask.

"You will learn in time," Revan says, and the image starts to fade away.

"Wait, where are you going?" I exclaim, reaching forward.

"We'll be with you Jarik. Always," Bastila calls out, and the image fades away into nothingness.

I stand there in silence, unsure of what to think as the feeling comes rushing back to me. I'm descended from Revan... Bastila and Satele carry my family name, and now I learn I have some important role in restoring the Jedi? And is there really nothing I can do to save the galaxy from the darkness before it overtakes us all?! That's some crap! The convor hoots down at me, and I look up at it.

"Well... geez," I say quietly. "What do I do now?"

The convor chirps again and then takes flight, moving down to flutter and flap its wings in front of me.

 _I am Daughter..._

"Wait, what?" I ask in confusion, looking around.

I could've sworn I heard the Daughter's voice just now...

The convor chirps again to get my attention, and I look back at it.

"Why have you followed me for so long?" I ask.

It hoots with an inquisitive look in its eye before flying away down the pathway.

"Hey, come back!" I call out.

I rush after the convor, unsure of what else I'm supposed to learn in this ridiculous Force journey. I'm freaking descended from Revan and Bastila, and Satele! I wonder how Master Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka will react to this revelation...

* * *

 _This was one intense chapter! Wow, so Jarik finally knows of his ancestry now! Wooohoooo! Revan and Bastila Shan readers, ha!_

 _Also if anyone can properly indentify all of the voices that Jarik hears in the World Between Worlds I will congratulate you. I'm sure that'll be a test right? ;)_


	63. Chapter 62 - Sacrifice

**_World Between Worlds - Lothal Jedi Temple_**

 **Jarik POV...**

I run after the convor, who continued to keep flying down the pathway. My footsteps echo loudly as I run down the path, the ground rippling like water. The convor hoots again, and I glance up to see it change in direction. Looking around, I notice a nearby pathway pretty close to where the convor is flying, and taking a deep breath, I jump across the void with an enhanced leap, landing on the other side.

I then look for the convor to see it suddenly flapping its wings in an effort to stay stationary, and walk up to it.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I ask, a little frustrated with how it's been flying away from me.

 _Face the darkness..._

The convor chirps again and looks over to the right, where a triangle-like gateway stands, looking different from the usual circle type of gateway. I glance up at the convor before heading over to the gateway, watching as it suddenly lit up in red smoke.

"What is this?" I ask the convor.

It hoots quietly before flying up to perch on top of the gate. I step forward and the red mist inside slowly dissolves and forms into a figure, sitting on a throne of gleaming black metal. This figure seems like a fair skinned man, although not human, with creamy white hair and wrinkles showing age, and he looks to be in perfect health, no injuries of any kind. He wears a golden robe, and yet despite his kindly looking features, the Dark Side radiates off of him.

He smiles.

"Welcome, young Shan," he greets politely, a hint of eagerness in his voice.

This convor is so confusing, and I am very wary about this person on a throne. Everything screams run away, like for real.

* * *

 ** _Sith Temple, Korriban - Outer Rim Territories_**

 **Yoda POV...**

I head down further into the Temple, extinguishing my lightsaber when I saw light up ahead. The Dark Side pressed heavily down on me here, and it was sickening to me, trying to corrupt my spirit. This planet of Korriban truly was a place of the Sith.

Up ahead is a large stone tomb from what I can make out, and the light shines down on it like a beacon, the tomb reeking of the Dark Side. As I get closer, black smoke with an orange glow suddenly rises out of the tomb, forming a large misty figure in a helmet and burning robes, with glowing yellow eyes that glared down at me. I standd my ground without fear.

 _"Why do you come to my tomb, Jedi?"_ he demands of me.

"To learn," I answer, stopping in front of him.

 _"Do you know who I am?"_ he suddenly asks.

"Yes. Darth Bane, the ancient Sith lord you are," I tell him. He feels pleased.

 _"And know why I am not forgotten?"_ he asks in delight.

"Created the rule of two, you did," I reply, remembering how it was supposed to be.

Darth Bane floats around me, examining me as his form crackled while he spoke.

 _"The Sith killed each other, victims of their own greed. But from the ashes of destruction, I was the last survivor. I chose to pass my knowledge onto only one, I created a legacy so resilient, that now you come before me."_

"Not the only survivor, you were," I point out knowingly, sensing something off about his tale.

 _"Ah yes, the descendants of the Shan family. Do you know why they were not forgotten?"_ he asks in displeasure.

"Why?" I demand.

 _"They came from Revan of course,"_ he answers in distaste, much to my surprise. _"That whole family of Jedi or Sith who believe themselves so gifted in the Force... well no longer. I killed them all, proving once and for all who truly mastered the Force. And now you come before me?"_

I take in this shocking information warily, and with caution. If what Darth Bane says is true, then Jarik has much to learn and uncover for himself.

"Not all of them, did you kill. Another Shan, there is. A powerful Jedi he has become," I tell Bane in satisfaction.

 _"So they did survive? How dare they. Well, this last one can either become my apprentice, or be destroyed,"_ Darth Bane says angrily. _"Unless you have come to be my apprentice? You must kill me to gain my place."_

"Dead you are already," I point out.

Darth Bane merely chuckles in dark amusement. _"Then what stands before you?"_

"An illusion. Real, you are not," I answer.

I will not be tempted or swayed by that which can no longer exist. Not anymore.

Apparently these words greatly anger the illusion of the Sith Lord, as he leans down close to me in anger.

 _"You do not fear me?"_ he demands incredulously.

"No. Exist, you do not anymore," I say sternly, brushing past his illusion. There is nothing more for a dark echo to teach me.

Darth Bane looks back in terror and yells in pain as he is suddenly pulled back to the tomb. He tries to claw away from the tomb, but he gets sucked back into it, the Dark Side lessening in strength. The tomb then moves back to reveal a hidden passageway underneath, and I make my way forward to uncover more.

* * *

 ** _World Between Worlds - Lothal Jedi Temple_**

 **Jarik POV...**

I eye the old man sitting on his throne warily, backing up slightly. I glance up at the convor, only to see it not there. Instead the convor is sitting on the ledge of one of the paths above me, watching what's taking place.

"Who are you?" I demand.

The old man chuckles and stands up from his throne, walking towards the gateway with a grin on his face.

"Just a simple old man concerned for a young Force wielder," he says.

The man stops in front of the gateway and I shiver slightly at how tall he seems. Around 7 feet tall, easily dwarfing me.

"Simple men don't sit on thrones," I point out, taking my lightsaber in my hand as a precaution.

"Perhaps not," he replies in agreement. "Yet you've come before me? You... the mighty, Jarik Shan, of the Grand Army of the Republic."

My eyes widen in shock, remembering a line that sounded just like that before... back on the Gathering mission I was in meditation, and a vision showed me a figure speaking in a dark voice.

The mighty, Kylo Ren...

I activate my lightsaber and hold it up beside me defensively.

"I've heard you before! Who are you really?!" I demand, glaring at him. "You're a Sith!"

The old man frowns at my words, humming thoughtfully.

"Sith? Oh no, I am no Sith," he says with a shake of his head, turning around slowly and walking back towards his throne. "Merely... a humble practitioner of sorts, taking inspiration and learning from their methods, although not exclusively."

"Then who's Kylo Ren?" I recall. "Your apprentice? A servant of the Dark Side?!"

The old man sits back down on his throne and stares back at me with icy blue eyes that radiate with the darkness.

"I will admit I do not know. Do you know who he is?" he asks with a chuckle, leering at me. "Have your ancestors met him?"

"Enough with the games! Who are you?! Why are you even here?" I exclaim, pointing my lightsaber.

"Ohh, you have the spirit, of a true Jedi!" he says delightfully with a smirk. "And it is you who decided to reach through space to me from your location. As for who I am, I go by many names, but you may refer to me as... Snoke."

I eye him distrustfully, but to be fair he does make some good points. It's not like he's the one who activated the gateway, and I guess he gave me his name. Reluctantly I deactivate my lightsaber, but I still hold it in my hand. This guy reeks of the Dark Side.

"Well clearly I'm speaking to you for a reason... although I highly doubt you're anything good," I murmur to myself, glaring at him as I cross my arms. "Alright then... for what reason would I need to talk to you?"

He smiles pleasantly again, leaning back in his throne.

"Perhaps I could offer you, something the Jedi will not. Something they believe to lead to ruin, yet brings great strength to those who know of it."

Ah yes, the usual 'I-will-tempt-you-with-great-power' offer from villains. This'll be good.

"Uh huh, sure," I scoff sarcastically. "What could you have to offer me if you know so much?"

He smiles pleasantly, and waves his hand. The image of him shifts to show a fiery landscape of lava, on some sort of planet. Then the image moves underground, and I'm standing in a dark cave, with a boulder in the center. A dim, barely visible purple glow comes from the rock, and Snoke's voice speaks again.

"An object that has existed for eons... something of great power. We can use it to bring balance back to the Force, and to end all wars across the galaxy," he says, and the image springs back to him, watching me expectantly.

"And that object is...?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

He smiles, and leans forwards to answer...

* * *

 ** _LiMerge Building, The Works - Coruscant_**

 **Darth Sidious POV...**

I looked up from the cauldron of blue fire, a displeased and angry frown on my face of disappointment. Lord Tyranus grins at me expectantly, hoping to hear some good news. I shake my head.

"We have failed, to break Master Yoda! We will need more time, if we are to defeat him, and the Jedi," I say, extinguishing the flames and walking away, Lord Tyranus trailing after me.

"And, what of young Shan Master? You've said he may be a great danger to our plans," he says.

I stare at him coldly, eyes glowing yellow before looking forward once he flinches, reminded of his place.

"Jarik Shan, that meddlesome child is more trouble then he should be. Yet with all my knowledge of foresight, his future remains... unknown to me," I say in displeasure, greatly disturbed by how much I'm unable to decipher about the young Jedi. "As well as young Tano."

Lord Tyranus walks along quietly, waiting for me to speak.

"As for him, his trust in the Jedi Order has weakened considerably, and yet the only way to break him fully is to rid him of his Forcde bond with Ahsoka Tano, permanently. But for now, we will wait until our plan is in motion, to destroy the Jedi once and for all," I decide.

* * *

 ** _World Between Worlds - Lothal Jedi Temple_**

 **Jarik POV...**

"So this all powerful relic you are looking for is on the lava planet Mustafar?" I ask sarcastically.

"Beneath the ruins of an ancient Sith Temple, undisturbed for many years," Snoke replies with a confirming nod and wicked grin. "Malachor also holds a similar power of great interest..."

I narrow my eyes at him, suddenly suspicious. I've heard plenty about Malachor, especially now that I just learned I'm related to Revan and Bastila, key figures in the Old Republic during that time.

"Malachor is off limits. No one goes there," I state seriously.

His grin turns into a sinister smirk, and his eyes glint eagerly as he leans forwards.

"You wonder why, nobody returned alive?" he asks.

I don't answer, unsure of what to say about that.

* * *

Snoke continues to ramble on and on, preaching about his great power that will bring order and prosperity to the galaxy in the only way possible. Internally I'm just rolling my eyes at how full of himself he seems, a bit exasperated.

"You don't believe me, do you," he suddenly says, frowning at me with those icy blue eyes.

I glance around nervously, surprised at how easily he sensed my true thoughts about his ideals. Snoke shakes his head, almost disappointed.

"Don't think I could not sense your true feelings on the subject young Jedi. I thought we could've done great things together for the galaxy, with you by my side as my loyal and trustworthy apprentice," he says, suddenly standing up.

I steel myself and then glare at him, deciding to drop the act.

"Alright, fine, you got me 'oh wise Supreme Leader,'" I say sarcastically, glaring at him. "The reason I don't believe in a single bit of what you say is that no matter who you claim to be, no matter how distant you say you are from the Sith, you're still just the same; a power-hungry tyrant who specializes in the use of the Dark Side to further his own gain!"

The convor chirps again for the first time since I first saw Snoke, and I glance up at it, noticing how happy it seems at hearing my words. Snoke frowns in displeasure, his expression morphing into a glare.

"So, you truly are incorruptible to the dark side with that Force bond of yours," he remarks irritably.

My blood runs cold with horror, and I widen my eyes at him incredulously. How could he possibly know about my Force bond?!

"Yes, I know of your bond with Ahsoka Tano, although what makes the two of you special otherwise is, annoyingly... beyond my knowledge. A Force bond isn't the only thing keeping the Light within you..." he says thoughtfully.

How the crap does he know about my Force bond?! I start to back away nervously, finished with having anything to do with Snoke and his self-proclaimed glorious vision for the galaxy, and he glares at me with cold, subdued anger.

"But because of this, you must die!" Snoke declares, and that does it for me.

I take off, running away from the gateway, and the convor takes flight, following after me. A weird, echoey shriek and crackling sound of something rushing towards me gets my attention, and I glance back to see black... BLACK?! Yeah, black colored flames shooting out from the gateway that Snoke is in!

"WHAT THE KRIFF!?" I shout in a panic, pushing my legs to run harder.

That echoey shriek follows after the flames as they shoot towards me, and I look around desperately for the portal I first came from. The convor chirps above me, and I look up to see it flying in the direction of a far away portal, and I run after it, having no better idea of what to do.

"Young fool! You cannot escape!" Snoke's voice echoes, carrying over the roar of the black fire.

I glance back fearfully before pushing myself to the maximum, drawing closer and closer to the portal. The convor hoots at me before flying through, and with a yell, I leap off the ground and fly through the portal, disappearing into the vortex just as the fire slams into it behind me.

* * *

I tumble out of the portal back into the Lothal Temple, rolling across the ground painfully, a couple of sparks running across my body before disappearing. I get up to hear the convor squawking at me again, fluttering its wings and hovering in front of the Mortis mural.

"What? What now?!" I say angrily, standing up and brushing myself off. "I escaped didn't I?"

 _Close the gateway..._

A woman's voice whispers in my ear and I glance around in confusion, before looking at the gateway, nodding my head in agreement. I certainly don't want Snoke following after me that's for sure.

"Alright," I say, heading towards the mural. "How do I do that?"

I stand in front of it, analyzing the painting, the convor hovering just in front of it. I honestly have no clue what to do, until the convor flies over and pecks its beak against the Son, chirping at me.

"The Son?" I ask, stepping forward. "Why the Son..."

I think critically about it, the Force guiding me in my thoughts. If the Daughter was the one who opened the portal, and the Father keeps balance over his children... maybe like the person who takes care of everything? Then the Son closes it... simple actually. I shrug, not like I've got any other ideas.

"Alright," I say casually, stepping up to the side.

I lay a hand on the son's fist and close my eyes, calling upon the Force. At first nothing happens, but then a rush of cold passes through me and I shiver in response, stepping back. The Son's hand glows red and he looks up at the Father before clasping his hands together in a respectful fashion, inclining his head. While doing so I also hear his voice speaking, like how the Daughter did when I opened the portal

 _The future by its very nature can be changed..._

I look over and notice the wolves stop circling the gateway and walk over, returning to their original positions. When I look back at the Ones, I notice they're back in the same position they were when I first arrived here, and the convor that was just here is nowhere to be found. Now it's really dark, so I pull out my lightsaber again, looking up at the mural one last time.

"Thank the Force that's over," I breathe out in relief.

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple - Coruscant_**

Back at the Jedi Temple, I approach Master Yoda in the courtyard, who is gazing at one of the trees thoughtfully.

"Credit for your thoughts Master Yoda?" I ask him.

He turns to look up at me, before glancing at the approaching forms of Master Windu and Master Kenobi, who is eying me with an exasperated look, much to my amusement.

"Discuss later we shall, privately," he decides quietly.

"The Council has assembled," Master Windu says as they come up to us. "They are eager to hear your report, Master Yoda."

I take great notice on how he emphasizes Master Yoda, completely blowing me off. I roll my eyes in irritation.

"Afraid, not much there is to say, about my journey," he responds.

The two Masters glanced at each other in surprise before Master Kenobi turned to me.

"What about you Jarik? Anything about your journey?" he asks curiously.

I shake my head in response.

"No Master, nothing worth noting," I reply.

Master Kenobi strokes his beard thoughtfully and suspiciously.

"So, nothing significant happened to either of you out there? I don't exactly believe you Jarik," he accuses me with no bite.

I shrug in response, grinning slightly. Master Windu frowns disapprovingly at my action, but I don't care.

"Yes, and no," Master Yoda says. "For him alone, Padawan Shan's journey was. Yet, to the end we are coming now."

"Did your journey give you insight on how to win the war?" Master Windu asks Master Yoda.

"No longer certain, that one ever does win a war, I am," Master Yoda says. "For in fighting the battles, the bloodshed, already lost we have."

Master Kenobi frowns thoughtfully in concern, and I point at Master Yoda, nodding my head in agreement.

"That's a good point," I say.

Yoda nods as well, continuing.

"Yet, open to us a path remains. That unknown to the Sith is," he tells us. "Through this path, victory we may yet find. Not victory in the Clone Wars, but victory for all time."

Master Yoda then walks off, and the rest of us follow, but not before I glance back at the tree one more time, where the convor sits, looking down at me. I smile at the convor, and it chirps before flying off, disappearing into the sky.

* * *

 _So there it is! The end of the Clone Wars TV series, that is the end of episodes with completed animation! Did you like how I pulled it off? I hope so! :D_

 _By the way, Snoke does not have any of those massive injuries that we see on him in the films. The explanation will come in time._

* * *

Quotes of the voices heard by Jarik in the World Between Worlds:

 _"We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end."_

 _"It is his nature!"_

-The Daughter

 _"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is."_

 _"Train yourself to let go, of everything, you fear to lose."_

 _"It's energy, surrounds us, and binds us."_

-Yoda

 _"I'm not doing this for the Republic. I'm not doing it for you. I'm not even doing it for me. I'm doing it for our child. And our child's children. We might never live to see the horrors that are coming, but they will. We have to protect the Republic for them. We have to risk our chance at happiness so they can have a life we might never know."_

-Revan

 _"The Force showed me that you would need my help on Alderaan, and I petitioned the Council to send reinforcements."_

-Satele Shan

 _"The Avatar State is a defense mechanism. Designed to empower you with the skills, and knowledge of all the past Avatars."_

-Avatar Roku

 _"I never wanted a normal childhood. All I ever wanted to be was the Avatar!"_

-Avatar Korra

 _"One shall stand, one shall fall."_

-Optimus Prime

 _"After this? No. Nothing could make me feel safer than to be loved by you."_

-Bastila Shan

 _"We'll see each other again. I believe that."_

-Rey

 _"In my experience, just when you begin to understand the Force, you find out how little you actually know."_

 _"I won't leave you! Not this time."_

-Ahsoka Tano

 _"What is this place?"_

-Obi-Wan Kenobi

 _"A conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows."_

-Qui-Gon Jinn

 _"We are bonded forever."_

-Raava

 _"The time to fight is now!"_

-Jyn Erso

 _"I looked at him, and I saw myself."_

-Hiccup Haddock

 _"You don't know the power of the Dark Side."_

-Darth Vader

 _"This is our most desperate hour. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."_

-Princess Leia Organa

 _"Only through me, can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi."_

-Darth Sidious

 _"You're reckless little one. You never would've made it as Obi-Wan's Padawan. But you might make it as mine."_

-Anakin Skywalker


	64. Chapter 63 - Ahsoka Alone

The Fierce Commander.

That's what the holonet called me, throughout my battles in the Clone Wars. The Fierce Commander, Padawan to the Hero With no Fear, and respected leader throughout the entirety of the war, striking many victories against the Separatist Alliance for the Republic.

Then I was labeled as a traitor, a terrorist, accused of bombing the Jedi Temple and chased through the Underworld of Coruscant because of a false lie. And that's when I saw the true colors of the Jedi Council. Many of them, Master Windu in particular, are just a bunch of arrogant, unregretful backstabbers that simply make public decisions just to appease the whim of the Senate. A select few like Yoda, Master Obi-Wan and Master Plo were more kind and considerate, but in the end the Council expelled me without even allowing me to explain the situation properly, leaving me to the Senate for what was surely to be a death sentence.

After that, I just couldn't stand the thought of staying with the Jedi Order, not when everything Barriss said was true about them. I was hurt and angry at her betrayal and framing of me, and it was horrifying that she would bomb the Temple just to prove her point. But at the same time, her point was correct.

Leaving the Jedi Order wasn't easy, and there are a few things that I regret dearly. Leaving Anakin and Jarik hurt... way too much.

Me and Jarik had only just confessed our love to each other, but I had to leave the Order, devastated. I promised him to fight for what's right, not for the Council, not for the Jedi, but for me, because I want him to be a wonderful person. Maybe after this war is over we could meet up again...

I sighed sadly, continuing to walk through Coruscant's underworld to a public computer terminal. Honestly, the idea of getting to meet Jarik again is very slim because of the Order's stupid view on attachments, and I doubt the Council cares about what predicament I'm currently in. I was grateful for my Master not giving up on me, as well as Jarik. They were the greatest people ever.

Turning on the terminal, I opened up the banking records and input the code I got from Jarik, waiting a few moments. Immediately a small handful of credits came out and I smiled, grabbing them quickly and putting them in my pocket.

I had no illusions about how Jarik had gotten this money to me, no doubt he smuggled them out of the Temple's own vault of course. Not like I care, and he obviously doesn't either, since here I am with another few credits to get by. He didn't send me too much, to keep from being noticed, but it was plenty for me to survive and manage myself on Coruscant away from the Jedi.

With the money I got, I decided to get myself a small speeder, since walking around the city was absolutely horrible. My tiny, beaten-down apartment was a ways away from here, and who knows what kind of scum is willing to jump an innocent and small Togruta girl like me?

The sad fact of life in the galaxy is that the majority of people live in horrible conditions, and there are lots of criminals out there. Togruta's and Twi'leks are most prominently known for being attractive to many, which was obvious, straight in my face during the mission I went on to Zygerria.

Entering a small auto shop, I browsed around the different bikes and speeders, deciding not to go with something too fancy. All I needed was something to rely on when getting around. Finally, I found one to my liking and headed towards the shop owner, a Rodian.

"What can I help you with missy?" he greeted roughly.

"I'm looking to purchase a speeder," I told him, pointing at it. "That one."

He eyes it with narrowed eyes before turning back to me. "Simple speeder, but perfectly fine. It'll work. That'll be 1300 credits," he said.

I handed him the proper amount, which most about three quarters of the pile I got from the terminal, and he gave me the bike's registration number. I thanked him before moving over to the small speeder bike, turning it on. It began to float, although with some strain, and I pushed it out of the shop towards the open area to the side, where a small platform was placed to allow other speeders to dock for repairs and maintenance. Sitting down on the speeder, I tested it for a moment, taking notice of the slight engine growl that didn't sound okay and rolled my eyes.

Oh well. Not like I can expect anything better in the city with what I've got right now. I took off, the speeder protesting a little bit but managing to move forwards properly, thank the Force.

The sun was beginning to set, marking off another day on my own away from the Jedi Order as I drove back to my dingy little apartment. Stopping in the street close by, I considered about where to park the speeder before deciding to just take it inside the apartment. The door was wide enough for it to fit through, and although I might have the faint smell of fuel filtering through the room, which would make it unpleasant to be there, it was better than leaving my speeder out just for some slack-job to steel it.

As I pushed it towards the door, a cry nearby got my attention, and I looked up to see a kid only a few years younger than me backed into a corner by two thugs.

"I told you to give us what you owe runt!" one of the thugs demanded. I narrowed my eyes.

"I don't have anything!" he protested. "You took all of our money last week!"

One of the thugs slammed a crate to the side, destroying it and causing the kid to flinch in fear. "Wrong answer," he growled.

"Hey!" I called out with a glare, marching forwards. "Leave him alone!"

The two thugs looked at me, and then glanced at each other before bursting into laughter, mockingly. "You obviously don't know how this works little girl," one of them said patronizingly. "We're the top dogs around here, and whatever we say goes."

"Oh really?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. "Because from the looks of things you just look like a couple of lowlife moronic bullies," I replied snarkily.

They both glared at me angrily. "Who do you think you are little girl?" one demands. "In fact, I'm sure you'd make for a pretty good babe for me..." he purrs lustfully, and I glare back at him angrily. He dares to think of me like that? What a sicko!

"You're despicable," I say in disgust and anger. "But why don't you come and find out, once I've kicked the kriff outta you!" I say challengingly, bashing my knuckles together with a smirk on my face.

One of the goon advances forwards, striding confidently and pull back a fist to hit me with. I could tell immediately that he so severely underestimated me, thinking I was just a poor, pretty girl. Well, news flash to him!

He swings his fist at me, but their shock, I dodge out of the way faster than he could blink, before leaping forwards and bringing my foot up. I catch the thug in the jaw, sending him flying back to where he was before. His buddy watches in shock, before growling angrily, charging forwards much faster this time. I vault over him when he tries to tackle me, striking out with my foot and kicking him in the head, sending him falling to the ground with a groan.

The Force shoots me a warning, and I sidestep out of the way as the other one comes barreling past in an attempt to grab me. I elbow him in the center of his back, and he falls next to his buddy as well. They both get back up, and look at me, eyes widened wildly in outrage and charge at the same time, thinking that will do the trick. However, I casually raise an arm, and the two thugs stop in their tracks. They gape at me in surprise, terror coming from them as they realize who I really am, before I swipe my arm, sending them crashing into the wall.

"Any idea who I am now sleemo's?" I ask mockingly.

They glance up at me in terror before high-tailing it out of there as fast as they could. Even thugs as stupid as they are know better than to mess with a Jedi.

"That was awesome!" the kid exclaims, and I turn to face him with a small smile. "Thank you so much miss!"

"It was no trouble. I'm just glad you're okay," I say gently.

"I- I can get you something if you'd like!" he offers.

I shake my head immediately. "Oh no, that's not necessary, thanks for the offer though. You'd probably need it more than I do."

He nods his head, smiling up at me in awe before excitedly rushing down the street towards his living area, and I watch him go, a small, sad smile on my face.

* * *

The next day, I was driving around the city on my speeder, headed towards one of the large holes that marked the Underworld, for what I wasn't entirely sure. My schedule mostly revolved on just getting what I needed to survive in the harsh unforgiving areas of the Coruscant lower levels. And that is when my speeder bike suddenly broke, a small burst of flame from the engine as the bike growled angrily in protest. It began to swivel and jerk around unsteadily, and I widened my eyes.

"Ah! No, no! Woah!" I exclaimed fearfully, as the bike suddenly flipped over while still flying through the air. Now I was hanging onto the bike's handles for dear life, the massive hole underneath me, and it was impossible to see how far down it actually went. Other speeders and vehicles flew by at fast speeds, and my bike was headed dangerously close to a cluster of them.

"Ah!" I cried out, shifting my body to avoid accidentally kicking someone in the head.

"Hey!" they yelled angrily at me.

"Sorry!" I tried to apologize back, but the bike kept moving. I reached a hand up, attempting to turn it back on, too no avail. I glanced in front of me in alarm as another few vehicles came closer.

I lifted my legs to avoid most of them, but had to run off of a few speeders in the process. All the while angry displeased cries followed me from the drivers.

"Watch where you're going you stupid kid!" one yelled angrily, but I ignored it, focusing on the problem.

I repeated jammed the gas button in an attempt to get the speeder working again, but it frustratingly refused to work! Looking forward, a Gonzanti-class cruiser was straight in my path, and I desperately hit the ignition key again as I was headed straight for a direct course against the cockpit.

Finally, I managed to flip myself out of the way with enough momentum, righting the bike and managing to stop it, just barely scrapping against the ship's radar. I brought the speeder to a halt and looked back, sighing in relief once I realized everything was fine.

Then the engine sputtered again before giving out completely, and I widened my eyes in dread. "Oh no," I said in exasperation.

The speeder immediately fell down, only getting faster and fast as it continued its descent, while I let out a shocked and slightly terrified cry. Why did the speeder have to bust down while flying over the middle of a giant hole?!

"Ah! Come on!" I exclaimed furiously, slamming my foot down onto the gas pedal. Thankfully, the engine flared back to life immediately, shooting me forwards, although not solving the high speed problem. I looked forwards to see the wall of the hole approaching quickly, and at the last second managed to maneuver myself so that I wouldn't crash, but I was forced to run alongside the wall with the speeder, headed for a nearby platform with a bunch of junk on it.

I slammed into a few crates and barrel's, skidding along the surface towards the other edge as I desperately tried to pull the bike to a stop before I fell off. I had no hope that the speeder bike would be able to start up again. It jerked heavily, and I was flung off as it came to a stop, one hand gripping onto the handle for dear life as I hung over the massive drop for certain death. Sighing in relief at my sudden stop, I pull myself back up the side, shaking my head before glaring at the dumb speeder bike.

"Uuggh! What a piece of junk!" I said angrily, pulling the bike back over the side. "I should've known better than to trust a used speeder salesman."

"You need some help with that?" a voice nearby asks. I turn around to spot someone a couple of years older than me wearing work goggles and a white mechanic's jacket.

"Sure, the problem is just this dumb bike," I said, gesturing to the heaping pile of scrap metal that I bought yesterday.

He eyes the speeder doubtfully. "You bought that thing?" he asks.

"The salesman said it was perfectly fine," I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"Well, down here in the Underworld, never go by someone's word. You'll get scammed easily," he advises.

"Can you fix it?" I ask him in exasperation, getting the message he was trying to put across.

He gives the bike a quick glance over before shrugging. "Well, I'll do what I can but it'll cost you," he says.

I do a mental count of how many credits I currently had on me right now before sighing reluctantly. "Fair enough," I tell him.

He grins. "Good. Now help me get this thing back into the shop," he says.

Working together, the two of us manage to pull the junky speeder back over to his workshop, setting it in between two shelves stacked with machine parts and other various items. He pulls out a few tools and starts to check out the speeder.

"So, what's your name?" he asks me casually.

I consider whether or not I should tell him before shrugging. "Ahsoka. What's yours?"

"You can call my Nyx," he says. "So what's a pretty girl like you doing in a junkpile of a place like this?" he asks, and I don't miss the attempt of flirting he puts into his tone. I roll my eyes at his comments. If he's hoping to go out on a date with me or something ridiculous like that, then he'll be very disappointed. There's only one person in the galaxy who I'd consider doing that with, and his name starts with a J. At one point I might have thought about Lux, but ever since Onderon I've grown out of that crush, and he probably did as well during the fight against the Separatists, considering his feelings for Steela.

Despite how I felt about Lux, he was just a simple crush in my eyes at this point, and while we may be friends, Jarik is really the only one who understands me and can relate to me. We're bonded for Force's sake.

"Certainly not crashing here by choice," I say. "I don't have too much in terms of possessions at the moment, although I've been looking for a ship to try and leave Coruscant."

He scoffs in amusement. "Nobody down here really does, and buying a ship in the Underworld is almost impossible unless you have the influence or the credits," he remarks. I think about what Jarik has been sending me, and wonder how long it would take to save it up in order to get enough to buy a ship. "Where did you say you bought this thing again?" he questions.

"Got from somebody who sold used speeders. They said it was in fine condition," I told him.

"Fine condition? Well this rusted stabilizer right here is perfectly fine for the trash," he says, tapping said piece with his wrench.

"Can you fix it?" I ask him.

"In my opinion this bike would be better in a scrapyard, but if you insist," he says.

"OKAMI!" a harsh voice yells out. I look up from the table to view a Yushyn male approaching with two guards wearing greenish armor. "Do you have what you owe me?!" he demands, striding forwards.

"Hey, Pintu! I was... just coming to see you!" Nyx greets in false happiness. "I've been helping a new client rebuild her speeder," he says, gesturing to me, and I wave my arm with a small smile. "And, I was waiting for her to pay the last few credits she owes me."

Hah, no he wasn't, the liar.

"So, where's my money?" Pintu asks.

"I'm a few credits short." Nyx admits nervously much to my amusement, and the two guards march forwards threateningly.

"Then this is going to hurt pretty bad Okami." Pintu declares gleefully.

Nyx backs up fearfully, his hands finding a large tool on the table, and he grasps it while continuing to try and stall for time. I roll my eyes with a smirk on my face. This was going to be great to watch Nyx get his butt handed to him.

"Well, the question is, will it hurt me? Or YOU!" he exclaims suddenly, slamming the guards face a few times with the tool. He catches them off guard before one throws a punch, catching him in the face and he hits the table painfully. One of them grasp Nyx, restraining him as the other begins to pummel him senseless. Nyx kicks out with his feet, sending the guard back into the shelf, which shakes a little bit from the impact.

Getting an idea, he headbutts the guard holding him before slamming into the other, shoving him against the shelf and causing it to collapse on him. The other guard slams his fist into his face, knocking Nyx onto the table again, although he retaliates, swinging a heavy machine part.

"You're doing pretty good," I comment casually.

"You can go get help anytime you want Ahsoka!" he says irritably as the guards advance on him.

"But only if you fix or give me a new speeder free of charge," I tell him.

"Free? No way!" he protests as the guard grabs his shoulders, hauling him to his feet. He attempts to fight back, landing a few punches, but the guards easily begin to pummel him, punching him in the face, gut, before finally slamming him onto the table. I calmly walk up to the table and he looks up at me pleadingly.

"Fine, free of charge! Just go get help!" he pleads desperately, and one guard punches him directly in the face. He stumbles a little bit, his eyes becoming lidded and he mumbles a bit before collapsing, being knocked out.

I sigh and glance up at the two before leaping over the table, immediately springing into action. I quickly kick and punch the guards, moving too fast for them to follow and delivering fast and painful jabs. They get knocked around as I roll between them, continuing to beat the guards senseless. Finally, after delivering a few fast kicks to the face and slamming a crate into ones legs, I turn around and swiftly kick the other in the groin, and he shrieks in agony, dropping to his knees, and I stand back up fully with a satisfied smile.

"I think you want to leave now," I suggest to Pintu.

"Tell Okami, that his debts are far from being paid!" he says, backing up nervously before he and his guards leave in a hurry.

I look over at Nyx, who slowly gets up from the ground with painful groans, only to look around in confusion as he stands up.

"I thought you were going to get help..." he says in confusion.

"I took care of it," I told him.

"What do you mean?" he ask weirdly.

"I beat them up for you, they ran off. You're welcome," I say with a grin.

He stares at me in disbelief before shaking his head. "Nuh uh, there's no way you could've taken them on."

I immediately dash forwards in the blink of an eye and grab his arm, slamming him face first into the table, smirking in amusement as I pin him there. "You were saying?" I ask.

"Ok ok, you win Ahsoka!" he exclaims fearfully.

"And, the speeder?" I say sweetly.

"Free of charge, like I promised!" he says quickly.

I release him with a smile. "Good! Glad to do business with you!"

He groans in defeat while I continue to smirk at him in amusement.

* * *

After that whole fiasco with Nyx Okami, he finally managed to fix up my speeder so that it worked to satisfaction, although he continued more attempts to flirt with me before I finally shut him down, telling him I only had eyes for one other guy, much to his disappointment. Once the speeder was fixed I said goodbye and left, headed off to do who knows what.

Laying in the cot back at my dingy apartment that night with my hands behind my head, I gazed up at the ceiling, thinking about how the others were doing. How was Master Obi-Wan and Anakin, and how was Jarik? Whatever they were doing right now I had no idea, of whether or not they were on a mission right now I didn't know, and I probably wouldn't know.

Feeling along my Force bond with Jarik, I gave it a gentle and hopeful tug, smiling happily when I felt a response from Jarik, as he sent happy, but longing feelings back towards me, and I returned the feeling, wishing I could be with him and Anakin right now.

* * *

 _So yeah, just a little bonus chapter about Ahsoka's time away from the Jedi Order from the Clone Wars. Thought it would be nice to write this, and as for the other unfinished episodes, I'm unsure on whether I'll do them in the future or not, but only time will tell!_


	65. Insane Story Update! :O

**_Author's Note:_**

 _WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME! OH MY GOSH I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW!_ ** _CLONE WARS IS COMING BACK!_** _:D :D :D_

Jarik: Wait wait wait, are you for real?!

 ** _YES!_**

Ahsoka: Did you not hear what he just said? come on little Jari!

Jarik: Hey, I have reason to doubt, but I won't complain! YUS! YUS! YUS!

 ** _You mean 'yes?'_**

Jarik: Sure whatever.

 _Anyways... because of this news, I'm changing up the schedule for future uploads to this story! Instead of the unfinished episodes you can view on Youtube, I'm going to follow along the storyline that'll come out for it next year. It's rumored to have twelve episodes, all mostly focused around the Siege of Mandalore. So, we've got quite a wait for it to happen unfortunately, yes so sad... BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT!_

 _Because of this, I'm gonna hold off on writing chapters for unfinished episodes unless I know for sure when everything will take place, and how to best incorporate. So until then, I'll see you all later! :D_

Jarik: I'm gonna be epic this season.

Ahsoka: Hey, this is my mission thank you very much!

Jarik: But I can help! What's wrong with that!?

Ahsoka: ... don't push it Shan.

Jarik: Oh of course not ;)

* * *

 _ **Sequel to this story:**_

 _The next installment of the Legacy of Jarik Shan series, and the sequel to this is **Legacy of Jarik Shan: Revenge of the Sith**. Check it out to see the next chapter of Jarik's story! :D_


	66. Chapter 64 - Sith Alliance

_BONUS STORYLINES #1_

* * *

 _ **Ord Mantell; Bright Jewel Sector**_

 **Jarik POV...**

Master Kenobi and I were heading towards the command center of our temporary set-up here on Ord Mantell, the signs of a battle not too long ago all too clear. Republic soldiers were helping to tend to the wounded citizens of the city, or patrolling the area for leftover clues or anything to help give us a clearer understanding of what happened.

"Well, isn't this quite interesting?" I ask.

"Yes, back into the field for another mystery in the Clone Wars," Master Kenobi says with a sigh. "The fun never does end for us it would seem."

"Just wish I got to enjoy the fun with a different form of company," I say bitterly with narrowed eyes.

On the other side of the street was Jedi Master Windu, who was speaking with Chancellor Palpatine over a hologram. I give him a brief glance, still angry with him, something Master Kenobi instantly picks up on.

"I understand you frustration Jarik," he tells me. "But you must not let it cloud your judgement on the battlefield."

I glance up at him and sigh in reluctant agreement. "I know Master. It's just..."

"You still miss her," he deduces knowingly.

"Every day," I admit.

We stop for a moment just before the command center, and he lays a comforting hand on my shoulder, smiling down at me.

"I'd be surprised if you weren't," he replies. "But I am confident that one day, when this war is over, you will see each other again."

"Thank you master," I tell him with a smile of my own.

Patting my shoulder in reassurance, he walks into the command center and after a moment I follow after him. Walking through the hallways were the familiar sights that I've unfortunately gotten used to over the years, which included wounded people being treated. Once we reach our destination, we're greeted by Master Tiplee at the holo-table.

"Master Kenobi, Padawan Shan," she greets with a respectful nod.

"Master Tiplee," he replies with his own nod, and I do so as well.

"This would seem to be a day for interesting developments," she states.

"I am inclined to agree," Master Kenobi replies.

"Do you really think Maul was here Master?" I ask him.

"I'm not sure, but it seems like it may be so," he tells me.

Just then, Master Windu walks up to the table with us, and I scowl for a brief moment before hiding my irritation, crossing my arms. I flick my padawan braid to get it out of my face as Master Windu gets straight to the point, stoic as ever.

"What do we know Master Kenobi?" he questions, completely disregarding my presence.

Well, the feeling is mutual.

"It's clear the Separatist droid army battled against a massive force here, but exactly what that force was remains elusive," Master Kenobi says.

"It's as if the opposing forces took care to collect all trace of their presence on the way out," Master Tiplee adds.

"Well, we know they aren't stupid," I remark quietly.

"Not all Tiplee," someone says. We look over to see Ayala Secura enter the room. "Commander Wolffe and his men uncovered _this_ just outside the city walls."

In her hands she was carrying a Mandalorian mask, and a familiar one at that. It was painted red, having the same markings as Maul's Mandalorians.

"Mandalorians?" Master Tiplee says in surprise.

"Oh great. More people to hate me," I mutter to Master Kenobi. Nobody knows about my heritage yet aside from Master Yoda, but they do know that Mandalorians hate my guts.

"This confirms our intel from the Mandalorians resistance that the alliance between Prime Mjnister Allen and the Underworld is still intact," Master Windu states.

"And that Maul is still in charge," I point out.

Master Kenobi nods in agreement, and turns on the holoprojector to display an orange map of nearby systems.

"We know that Black Sun has a foothold here. Could the Shadow Collective be staging a major operation in that sector?" he questions.

"From what we know Master, there is a known Mandalorian supply outpost here in this system," I tell him, pointing it out on the map.

"Then Maul could be lurking in the shadows there," he replies with narrowed eyes.

"We can't let Mandalorians fall into the hands of the Separatists," Master Windu states firmly.

"I agree," Master Kenobi replies with a nod. "Jarik, Master Tiplee and I will investigate that outpost, and see what comes scurrying out when we shine a light on it."

* * *

 ** _Vizsla Keep 09; Rings of Phelbos_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Darth Sidious was not happy, and Maul could quite clearly see that on his former Master's face through the hologram. His yellow eyes glared angrily at Dooku and Grievous, much to Maul's amusement and glee.

 _"Lord Tyranus, you disappoint me,"_ Sidious states coldly.

The words don't sound too hateful or harsh, but anyone with enough knowledge about Darth Sidious knows that to disappoint him means horrible pain and consequences. Dooku and Grievous remain bound on the ground, heads down, while Maul turns to grin at Sidious.

"Now you see their failure, and yet you could not see foresee the trap I had laid for them," he says. "Your schemes are unraveling Sidious, and without your generals, your armies will be crushed. As will your plans."

 _"That only proves their weakness, not my own,"_ Sidious retorts. _"What are your demands?"_

"Not my demands," Maul corrects. "Mother Talzin's!"

Sidious remains silent for a moment, and Maul glares at him knowingly, raising a clenched fist.

"Yes, you remember the Mother. She was your ally, but you used her as you used _me_ before throwing us both away. As you will these two," he proclaims.

 _"Kill them. I have no more use for either one of them,"_ Sidious says offhandedly.

Maul shrugs carelessly, and raises the Darksaber up to Dooku's neck. Dooku pulls his chin away slightly from the blade, but otherwise doesn't react, and doesn't flinch.

"So be it. Since apprentices are apparently so easy to find..." Maul comments, taking another bitter jab at Sidious.

 _"Tread lightly Maul. Revenge is a dangerous game, one which you never seem to win,"_ Sidious taunts in reply.

"I only lost when I followed _you_ , old man," Maul spits hatefully.

He pulls the Darksaber away from Dooku's neck and closes the transmission to Sidious, who disappears in a flash.

"What do we do with these two?" one of his officers questions.

"Take that _monstrosity_ to the brig and put him under constant watch," Maul orders, looking at Grievous with disgust. The cyborg glares right back at him, growling to himself. "Leave Count Dooku and me alone. We have much to discuss."

As the Mandalorian guards shove Grievous and begin leading him away at blaster point, Grievous glances back at Dooku with narrowed eyes.

"It would be unfortunate if next time we met Count, I had to add your lightsaber to my collection," he comments, coughing.

"We all have our parts to play General," Dooku replies with a small smirk. "I look forward to our next encounter.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Leaning against the wall with my arms crossed at the back end of the bridge, and closer to the command center, I can't help but let my thoughts dwell on my previous encounters with Maul. Both times he's taunted me about my dead parents, using my rage to his advantage. I did better in stamping down on it when we fought on Florrum, but he still did get to me a bit. Sensing someone approaching, I then look up, a little surprised upon seeing it to be Aayla Secura.

"You seem troubled Padawan," she remarks.

"Yeah," I admit, looking down with a sigh. "Maul tends to have that affect on me."

"How so?" she asks.

"He... hurt me in a way that was very personal," I tell her with a grimace. "Before Master Qui-Gon found me. I told Obi-Wan what it was but... I'm not comfortable with sharing that openly just yet."

"I understand," she replies. "Dwelling on past memories, especially painful ones, can be difficult to overcome."

"You sound like you speak from experience," I notice.

"Before becoming a Knight I had a... interesting dilemma," she admits with a small smile. "But I rose above the struggle, and became the person I am today."

"Yeah? Hope I can do that," I remark dryly.

"I'm sure you will Jarik," she says sincerely, and I glance up at her. "I know it's an unpopular opinion but... me and Shaak don't blame you for your wish to keep your bond with Ahsoka intact."

"You don't?" I ask warily, looking at her suspiciously and standing to my full height.

"No. She has a good heart, and I feel that severing your connection with her would do more harm than good," she says, smiling softly.

"Well... thanks," I reply, completely baffled at the unexpected comment.

"General Kenobi, Commander Shan," Cody suddenly calls out from a console. Obi-Wan looks over from where he was talking with Master Tiplee. "Probes are launched and gunships are ready to scramble on your order! If Maul is hiding in there, we'll drag him out."

"Guess I should get ready for the fight," I remark.

"That would be a good idea," Master Secura replies.

I head over to Obi-Wan, who is moving to prepare the troops for battle.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Maul stands at the window, looking out into space while Dooku remains kneeled on the ground behind him, listening to his offer.

"I left you here to make you an offer. While Grievous is a creature of limited scope, you see much more," Maul states, turning around to face Dooku with a gleam in his eyes. "You abandoned the Jedi when you understood the _Sith_ were gaining power. Now I suggest you abandon Sidious and serve _me_."

"Do you really believe there is any power in the galaxy that can stand against my lord?" Dooku retorts, looking up at Maul with narrowed eyes. "Ten thousand Jedi Knights will try this and fail. What hope will your army have?

Dooku then allows himself another small smirk as he taunts him. "Even when he was a child you couldn't take the boy Jarik Shan. So what hope will _you_ have against my lord?"

Maul glares at Dooku with glowing yellow eyes and scowls.

"Mother Talzin has shown me the real power! I have seen the truth!" he growls.

"What truth?" Dooku asks doubtfully.

"A source of power... greater than anything the galaxy has ever known... lying dormant underneath Malachor," Maul says slowly, leaning closer to Dooku. "Sidious is weaker than we realize. He fears Mother, and with the power underneath Malachor, and our combined strength, that will be his undoing."

"Even if what you say is true, how could we ever hope to combine our strength?" Dooky challenges suspiciously. "When Mother Talzin and I last met she tried to destroy me."

Maul takes a step back, and allows green mist to stream forth from him.

"Things have changed."

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Obi-Wan, Cody, Master Tiplee and I were all rushing for the hanger and to the gunships, ready to board with our men and storm the base that Maul is hiding out in.

"A military base hidden among the asteroids? Are you certain?" Obi-Wan asks in surprise.

"No doubt about it. We finally have that red-faced monster in our crosshairs!" Cody replies.

"I hope he stays in our crosshairs," I mutter in response."

"With Maul, nothing is as it appears," Obi-Wan replies grimly. "Let's move while we still have the element of surprise on our side."

"Yes Master," I say in understanding.

The four of us all board one of the gunships along with the rest of our platoon, and the gunships takes off not too much long afterwards. Along with a few other gunships, a small squadron of fighters flank us and cover our approach as we move towards the base.

 _"Maul's stronghold is in sight General!"_ the pilot says.

"Bring us in as close as you can without drawing their attention!" Obi-Wan replies into the comlink.

 _"Copy that. Wait until you see this place: it's not just hidden among the asteroids, it's built right into the side of one!"_ the pilot observes.

"Oh, how lovely," I comment.

 _"They're launching Gauntlet fighters!"_

Soon enough, the gunships begins to shake a little bit as the ships open fire on us. Our fighters quickly move to retaliate and provide cover for us while we continue our approach. I grip onto the handles more tightly to keep from falling over, grimacing as the gunship shakes once again.

"Punch through those ships and get us into that hanger!" Obi-Wan orders.

 _"Hold on!"_ the pilot replies.

We begin making a fast descent, the gunship pilots firing their turrets. I grip onto the handles and brace myself for the impact, which comes swiftly. The gunship skids across the hanger bay, causing a few of the men to stumble into each other, but otherwise lose their balance. When the ship skids to a stop, the doors are quickly open, and we jump out.

Obi-Wan, Master Tiplee and I all activate our lightsabers in response to the incoming blaster fire. We dash forwards while deflecting blaster bolts, allowing the clone troopers to jump out of the gunship as well and shoot back at the Mandalorian soldiers. I don't know how they do things, but apparently most, if not all, Mandalorians can apparently recognize me on sight, and swiftly change their aim to shoot in my direction.

"Seriously? Revan died thousands of years ago, get over it you punks!" I mutter quietly to myself in frustration, ducking underneath a laser.

"I sense Maul's presence. Let's lock this place down until our reinforcements arrive," Obi-Wan states.

"With pleasure Master Kenobi," Master Tiplee replies.

With a good chunk of the Mandalorian soldiers firing their blasters at me, using one lightsaber isn't just gonna cut it, even when using Obi-Wan's teaching methods. So I resort to pulling Ahsoka's lightsaber off my belt, activating the brilliant green blade. The Force hums softly around it, and I swiftly move into action. Running forwards, I swipe my lightsabers to deflect a bolt back towards a Mandalorian, and duck away from another that charged forwards at me. I jump upwards to kick him in the chest, and cut through another that soared down on a jetpack.

"Keep pressing forward! We have to reach the command center!" Obi-Wan exclaims.

The sound of another lightsaber cutting through a clone trooper gets our attention, and I look over to see Maul emerge, wielding the Darksaber, along with... Count Dooku?!

"Or better yet, let us come to you," Dooku declares with a smirk, activating his lightsaber.

"So it is true... you are working together," Obi-Wan says.

I line up with him and Master Tiplee, readying my lightsabers in my hands, while Dooku and Maul both step forwards and ready themselves for a fight.

"Of course Kenobi. Only our shared hatred of you and your brat could be strong enough to unite us!" Maul jeers at us, smirking at me.

I glare back at him, taking a breathe to try and hold back the flow of anger that threatens to come forth. As we all stare each other, another gunships comes crashing into the hanger, allowing Windu and Master Secura to depart and move forwards.

"Stand down in the name of the Republic," Windu declares. "This has gone far enough Dooku!"

"Agreed. I can promise you that your deaths won't be remembered," he replies with a smirk.

"Finally, a fair fight!" Maul exclaims eagerly, rushing over to Windu and Master Secura.

Before I could attempt to intercept him, Dooku quickly regains our attention by sending a powerful stream of Force lightning in our direction. All three of us quickly raise our lightsaber to block the flow of Force lightning, stepping forwards. When Dooku eases up on the attack, I run forwards and then jump into the air, flipping over Dooku and lashing out with both of my lightsabers.

He swiftly deflects both attacks and turns to face me, jabbing his lightsaber forwards. I raise my lightsabers to block his fast series of precise jabs and swings, and attempt to strike out with my own attack. However he parries my green blade and then kicks me in the chest. I tumble to the floor as Obi-Wan and Master Tiplee both move in, lightsabers raised. Raising an arm, Dooku blocks both of their overhead strikes with his own lightsaber, and then uses the Force to push them back. Before they could recover, he then makes his move first.

"Come here little Jedi. I have something to show you!" he exclaims eagerly.

Dooku reaches out and then grabs Master Tiplee with the Force, yanking her forwards. She's barely able to defend herself before being impaled on the end of his lightsaber with a surprised and pain-filled gasp. I widen my eyes in shock, stunned into horrified stillness for a moment.

"Master Tiplee!" Obi-Wan yells in horror.

"Aim for Shan!" I hear someone yell.

Whipping around in the direction of the voice, I gasp in alarm upon spotting a Mandalorian directing is soldier to aim a rocket at me. The rocket fires, and I quickly bring my hands forwards in a desperate move to protect myself, and try jumping away. The rocket impacts against the ground, throwing me violently into the air where I slam against a wall.

Groaning in pain, I fall down to the ground and hit it hard with a grunt, my lightsabers falling from my grasp. Then everything blacks out as I fall unconscious.

*:*:*

Feeling someone shaking my shoulder, I groan in a mixture of exhaustion and dull pain, slowly pushing myself up into a sitting position. Blinking my eyes blearily, I look up to see Obi-Wan crouching in front of me, a look of concern on his face. I furrow my gaze and look around the hanger.

"What happened?" I ask him, rubbing my head.

"A rocket was fired in your direction, and you were knocked out," he explains, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Can you stand?"

"I-I think so," I reply. I slowly push myself to my feet with some help from Obi-Wan, and he hands me both of my lightsabers, which I accept gratefully. "Thanks."

Glancing over, I then spot Master Secura tending to the body of Master Tiplee, and widens my eyes, lowering my gaze sadly.

"Sorry about Master Tiplee," I apologize.

"She knew the risks. We'll make sure to honor her sacrifice so that it wasn't in vain," Obi-Wan says with a sad sigh.

I grimace at the wording but otherwise don't comment, sensing his hidden grief.

"Maul got away again?" I ask quietly.

"With Dooku," he confirms with a nod. "Apparently it seems like Dooku may in fact be the Sith Master we've been looking for all along."

"What?!" I ask incredulously, looking up at him.

"Both he and Maul were working together, so that is what it seems as," he replies, before frowning. "Though I have to admit I am a little bit skeptical."

"You think?!" I ask incredulously. "It doesn't make any sense! Why would anybody think that?"

"Master Windu already informed the Chancellor as much," Obi-Wan says.

"Figures," I grumble irritably. "Doesn't he remember the recording I got of the Sith Lord on Mandalore? We couldn't see his face, but we could definitely tell he didn't have a beard, which Dooku has. Not to mention what I felt from his presence... it was way worse than anything Dooku could give off!"

"I understand Jarik. I'll see if I can offer this reasoning to the Council," he reassures me.

"Not like Windu will take my word anyways," I mutter bitterly, glancing to the side.

With the apparent battle here on this station over with, and a good amount of Mandalorian soldiers captured, we make our way over to the gunships, ready to depart from this place. But still, it just baffles me...

Dooku as the Sith Master? Seriously?!

* * *

 _Hello guys! Extra bonus chapter being updated onto this story! We get to see and return to a little bit more Clone Wars action from jarik, which is always fun. I did mention this in V5 during the 'Holocrons of Fate' bit, and now it's here! New chapters might be updated every so often, to add in more Clone Wars adventures that I've thought of far after finishing that era._

 _Thanks for being such wonderful readers, and I enjoy the support you all continue to give me and the Shaniverse! Keeps me going even more!_


	67. Chapter 65 - The Akul's Friendly Reunion

_BONUS STORYLINES #2 - (Not in chronological order)_

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple; Coruscant_**

 **Jarik POV...**

"Alright you two, Obi-Wan and I have some business to take care of, so we won't be seeing you for the rest of the day," Anakin says.

"Really?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow.

"So we've got the rest of the day off?" Ahsoka asks hopefully.

"Oh no, you still have some work you need to take care of," Master Kenobi replies.

Ahsoka and I both sigh in response, but nod our heads in resignation.

"Yes Master," she replies.

"You will find everything you need to do on your datapads," he continues, turning to me. "I'm expecting you to have it finished by tomorrow."

"What if I'm sick and can't do it?" I quip with a grin.

He narrows his eyes at me, and I glance away with a grumble.

"Better not slack off Snips," Anakin adds.

"Sure thing Master," Ahsoka replies.

 _"As if he was diligent about it,"_ she tells me secretly.

I quietly withhold my laughter at the comment.

* * *

After being told of our assignments from Master Kenobi and Anakin, we returned back to my quarters where sure enough, a datapad was waiting with the work downloaded into it. We don't go to Ahsoka's quarters as often since Anakin typically leaves his room a mess of droid and machine parts, and she had no interest in cleaning up after him right now.

"So we get free time because of this... and at the same time we don't," she comments dryly.

"Well, can't be too bad right?" I say optimistically.

I open up the datapad and look at the lesson set inside, my expression falling. It's asking for me to write a several page essay about the main principles of negotiation and political discussion.

"Huh, not to bad?" Ahsoka says sarcastically.

"Kriff you Master," I sigh in defeat.

Deciding to just get it over with, we plop ourselves down on the couch and begin working on our assignments, grumbling quietly to ourselves the whole time.

For the next several minutes, though it felt like an hour, we worked on our assignment, reading passages and then writing a few sentences from time to time. We frequently changed our position around the room from time to time, sitting in other chairs of lying down on the couch.

Right now I'm sitting in the middle of the couch while Ahsoka lounges across the right side, her legs draped over mine. Our datapads were still well in our hands as we kept working.

"How're you doing?" I ask.

"Just peachy..." she drawls sarcastically.

"Same," I reply with a sigh, finishing up another sentence.

As I work on starting the next one, something through the Force prickles at the edge of my mind. I frown momentarily in confusion and glance around the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging, I return back to my work...

"HEY GUYS!"

Ahsoka and I both leap from the couch with startled cries, whipping around in the direction of the voice. I kept a glimpse of two purple and yellow blurs before I get tackled to the ground. A surprised grunt told me that Ahsoka was tackled down as well. We all go rolling around in pile of flailing bodies for a few moments before coming to a stop, getting a good luck at our attackers.

"What the heck?!" I exclaim incredulously.

"Ugh, seriously guys?!" Ahsoka growls.

The culprits were our old clan mates, Rylla, Vifi, Kurhran, and Weron. The two girls tackled me to the ground while the guys went after Ahsoka. Rylla has a super bright smile on her face while Vifi has a dull, but sinister smirk on hers.

"Jarik!"

"Ahsoka!"

"Morons!"

Ahsoka shoves Kurhran and Weron off of her with strength that surprises them, while I manage to pull myself out from under Rylla and Vifi, quickly rolling to my feet.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Rylla says happily.

"Yeah, great," Vifi adds dryly.

"Feels like forever dude!" Weron tells me.

"Uh Huh..." I reply slowly.

"Did you have to tackle us though?" Ahsoka asks in exasperation, brushing off her outfit.

"It was their idea," Vifi says, gesturing towards Kurhran and Weron.

"Go figure," I say knowingly.

"It was a good one though!" Rylla comments.

"Wait, you happily went along with one of their plans?" Ahsoka asks her in disbelief.

"Hey, you can never ignore the twin masters of pranks," Kurhran declares smugly.

"Yeah, it'll happen regardless!" Weron adds.

"I just thought it sounded funny," Vifi remarks.

"You mean you wanted to laugh at our misery," I say, and she shrugs in response.

"We just wanted to say hi after all! It's been a long time," Rylla explains with a bright smile.

"How the heck did you sneak into our room anyways?" I ask.

"Like we'll ever tell," Weron says with a smirk.

Ahsoka glares at him.

He falters.

"We snuck in through the air vents," he mutters.

I look up at the roof to see that the vent is open like he said, and raise an eyebrow. Ahsoka and I share a baffled look with each other, both thinking along the line of how dumb we are to have not noticed.

"Well fancy that," I mutter.

"You know that goes against the Temple rules right?" Ahsoka deadpans.

"Have we ever followed the rules before?" Kurhran asks in response.

"Fair point," she admits.

"You still get us into trouble sometimes," Rylla says with a frown.

"It's so worth it though," Weron snickers. "Hey, remember that one time when we totally screwed you guys over with the food?"

"I still hate you for that," Vifi scowls.

"You hate everything," he retorts easily. "That was so funny though! Greatest thing ever!"

"Seriously? That was embarrassing!" Ahsoka fumes.

"Honestly, that was really dumb. I was so irritated," Rylla adds with a frown.

"Hey, what're you all made at us for? Jarik helped too you know!" Kurhran states.

Ahsoka, Rylla and Vifi all turn to me with deep frowns on their faces, and I look up at the ceiling with my hands behind my back, whistling innocently at the ceiling to try and ignore their glares.

"To be fair they pressured me into doing it," I offer feebly in defense of myself.

"Morons," Vifi mutters.

"So, What are you doing right now anyways?" Weron asks, picking up my datapad.

"Working on an essay," I say, snatching it out of his hands.

"An essay? Really?" Rylla asks.

"It's about the art of negotiating and political discussions," I explain with a grumble.

"Sounds boring," Kurhran comments.

"Oh you have no idea," Ahsoka sighs, placing a hand on her hip.

"Master Kenobi wants it done by tomorrow morning," I add.

"Well that sounds like plenty of time," Rylla remarks.

"We have to write several pages _in depth_ on it," I point out.

"Eyugh," Vifi groans in disgust. "Glad it's you and not me."

"Thanks..." Ahsoka replies with narrowed eyes.

"Come on, I'm sure you could put it off for a little bit," Weron suggests. "This is like, the one time we have to do stuff together!"

"Not right now," she replies. "We have to finish this stuff."

"Did you guys lose your sense of fun and humor when you became Padawans?" Kurhran demands suspiciously.

"No," I retort. "We just don't want to have two angry Masters on top of us."

"Eh, can't be that bad," Vifi shrugs

"Trust me, you don't want to get on Master Kenobi's bad side for slacking off," I tell her.

"Definitely not Anakin's either," Ahsoka adds.

"Still, we should do something. I'm sure you guys will have plenty of time to finish up your homework stuff," Weron suggests.

Ahsoka and I share a look with each other, mulling over the suggestion through our Force bond. Eventually we come to an agreement and give reluctant nods. Our friends all brighten up happily - apart from Vifi, she's dull as usual - and huddle up around us.

"Awesome!" There are so many things we need to do!" he continues eagerly.

"Time limit, remember?" I remind him.

"Aw boo hoo, whatever," Kurhran scoffs.

"Don't worry Jarik, we won't ruin your homework schedule!" Rylla chirps reassuringly. "This is going to be so fun! We finally have the clan back together!"

She slings her arms around me and Ahsoka's shoulders for an excited hug, her eyes bright and gleaming. Ahsoka and I both glance at each other momentarily, and she shrugs with a small smile on her face.

"Sounds fun Rylla," she says.

"The Akul's, back together again to spread their reputation of epicness!" Weron declares dramatically.

"We should totally make a holofilm out of that," Kurhran suggests.

"Yay..." Vifi cheers in a dry tone.

However the small glint in her eyes was confirmation enough that she was happy as well. I smile at the all with lightly clenched teeth, really happy of course but also a little anxious.

 _"We're so dead,"_ I tell Ahsoka across our bond.

 _Yup,"_ she replies in agreement.

* * *

 _I thought this would be a nice little chapter to add. These short bonus storylines are something that I enjoy writing about so much later, since I never originally thought of them when I first worked on this story. Hope you enjoyed!_

 _Quick info on the personalities of the Akul's: Rylla is the super cheerful and happy person, Vifi is the moody, annoyed type of teenager, and Weron and Kurhran are the pranksters of the group, kind of like Connor and Travis Stoll from the Percy Jackson series. Ahsoka and Jarik you already know what they're like. :3_

 _The other four have yet to become Padawans during this moment in chronological time._

* * *

 _STILL WAITING FOR SEASON 7 TO FINALLY BE RELEASED! :O :P_


End file.
